


High Profile

by raileht



Category: Good Wife (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2011-12-20
Updated: 2012-09-07
Packaged: 2017-10-27 15:27:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/297318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raileht/pseuds/raileht
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A man, a woman and a thirteen year old dangerously armed with an iPhone and a wicked streak. In which Diane Lockhart isn't even a lawyer. (A huge AU for the holidays and proof that I might just be Hallmark-capable.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Come Fly with Me

**Author's Note:**

> For Nikki--for everything, not just Secret Santa.
> 
> Disclaimer: The ones you don’t know are mine, the ones you do aren’t.

 

 

 

 **  
**“And then Neesa said she’ll try and get Caitlin to ask Mandy to join our sleepover but then Grace said Becca didn’t like Mandy because she has a big mouth but _I_ like her and she’s okay. Remember her? You met her. She was the one with the pretty braids and stuff. Mandy, her name is, but did you happen to catch her real name? Mandolin. I mean, how _cool_ is that?”

 

 

The dark blonde whirlwind chattered away, her phone in one hand and her backpack slung over her arm as she regaled him with tales of what had transpired the night before. She’d spent most of the time Skyping with her friends, the same group of girls she’d left behind only a week prior but he knew well enough that at the age of thirteen, a week might as well be a month and god only knew what the young girl might have missed while she was away.

 

 

And apparently, her annual holiday sleepover was commencing already in terms of planning. This was her third year and it seems the guest list was growing. Logic dictated he tell her to try and hold up a little, try a little less sugar and maybe try and trim the list considering she already had eight names compared to the six from the year before. He survived six but he doubted he could do as well with nine, counting his daughter as well.

 

 

Parental guilt dictated he let her have her friends, have a social life and be thankful she had yet to reach the ‘bratty’ stage where dads stopped being cool and secrets were the priority. Parental guilt further dictated he be thankful she had even taken her eyes off her cellphone, a gift from a well-meaning yet also guilt-ridden pair of Washington DC-based grandparents, long enough to recognize his existence.

 

 

“Oh, my god! Natalie Flores just started following me!” came the squeal, “Ooh…and Marty--that’s Martha, but she ‘changed’ her name to Marty--just tweeted about our homework. Ew. And Justin Bieber. Barf.”

 

 

And that was his cue, he thought wryly, as he heard yet another thing about _tweeting_. As if texting wasn’t bad enough, now there was Twitter and a cellphone with internet access at the first available change of Wi-Fi. He wasn’t sure who he hated more Guilty Grandparents or Steve Jobs and his crew. iPhones, as far as he was concerned, were a yet to be determined gift/curse.

 

 

“Dad, you promise we’ll make cocoa, okay? Cate needs convincing that you make the _best_ so blowing her away is a _must_ or else I’ll have to go nuclear on her.”

 

 

He chuckled, shaking his head a little and decided _maybe_ being phased out of his little girl’s world wasn’t as near as he thought. “Sure, baby,” he said, having the endearment slip before he could even stop himself.

 

 

Thankfully, his daughter seemed to be in a good mood and let it pass. Either that or she felt safe enough in her current anonymity in DC to worry _someone might hear_. Getting home to Chicago would be, of course, another story. He knew then the rules would go back as to where they were a week ago.

 

 

He was relieved he stopped short of kissing her head, as he was accustomed to do. She wasn’t in the brat stage yet but even he knew dad showing _too much_ affection was a kiss of death as early as the age of eleven. He wasn’t _that_ uncool of a dad.

 

 

“What’s going on anyway…?” the girl asked just as they reached the counter as an irate woman swiftly moved past them in a huff.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

“I told you! I told you we should have _buried_ that bitch!”

 

 

“But--”

 

 

“I mean, the _gall_ of that-that--”

 

 

“Eli, your heart.”

 

 

The pacing stopped mid-step and Eli Gold stood stiffly, taking a deep breath that was supposed to calm him and, of course, did not. It never worked anyway but he ignored that, considering it would have to do. His phone was clutched in one hand, the other clenched into a tight fist. Next to him, his assistant sat in a seat in the back of the area that had been appropriated for them while they waited to board their flight.

 

 

Slowly, he turned, facing the direction where the voice had come from, “My _heart_? How about _her_ heart? How about _I_ rip _her_ fuc--”

 

 

“ _Eli_ ,” this time the teasing had dissipated form the voice and, instead, cool steel laced itself into his name.

 

 

Diane Lockhart stood, dressed in a more understated yet stylish outfit that consisted of a simple purple dress that hugged her slender form beautifully and a pair of black high heeled peep toes with a silk bow. She had shed her black coat, favoring the controlled temperatures of the airport and felt comfortable enough not to bundle up. One article after another had already been written about her choice of clothes and had already endured favorable comparisons to the likes of Jackie Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Carla Bruni.

 

 

She had also been accused of being a clotheshorse--the less than admirable effort on the part of the opposition at the time back when she’d first ran for Governor--but that had been easily squashed.

 

 

Diane Lockhart had opened her closet to them, showing them that she _did not_ shop exclusively in designer places and rather chose her clothes more to her tastes than tags. She had also introduced them to one of her then private endeavors for the Salvation Army and as well as various organizations that gave away clothes as well and raised money by selling them to have the profits go to fund building houses for families and as well as helping abused and neglected children.

 

 

Also, it helped that she had a former-sister-in-law who happened to be a designer who also had friends who were more than ready to help provide wardrobe for one of Illinois’ favorite Democrats. She was now hailed by both the fashion magazines as well as the style sections of newspapers all over the country, often voting her one of the best dressed public figures without leaving her to be roasted for her spending.

 

 

That was still the case now as she was the newly appointed Senator Diane Lockhart of Illinois, having won the seat of Howard Lyman in the most recent Senate Elections. The former Senator had declined to vie for reelection just after the historical win of the President and Eli Gold, the brilliant political strategist who was known for his success rate and had virtually carried her towards the Governorship and now the Senate, had jumped at the chance months prior when there had only been rumors of Lyman’s decision.

 

 

Now, just a month and a few days after her win, Senator Diane Lockhart was now looking forward to being granted a chance to just sit back and relax. She could not remember the last time she had a real rest, of a full night’s sleep or even a moment to take it all in. The holidays were her reprieve and even though she loved and appreciated Eli Gold, she was also looking forward to giving him up to his daughter before they were due back to the trenches for the New Year. Of course, the same went with her staff. She couldn’t wait to get to her home in Chicago for the holiday season.

 

 

Eli took another deep breath, nodding slowly and made a motion for his assistant to disappear and he did, without a word, slipping away from the area and left the two alone.

 

 

“I’ve always admired how well you’ve trained that young man,” amusement now coated her words as well as filled the mischievous spark in her eyes, “I could only ever dream having such an… _impact_ on people that way but it takes a certain amount of viciousness that I rather find…unnecessary.”

 

 

“And that’s why you have me, Senator,” he said simply, stuffing both hands into his pockets and gave the most pleasant smile he could muster with his gritted teeth. “Though I do believe you’re selling yourself short. You have your own brand in terms of _making an impact_.”

 

 

The woman smiled, at first coy but then it turned playful and with a more elegant and gentler motion than his towards his assistant, she motioned for him to take a seat. He followed and they sat together, taking the molded plastic chairs linked together and sat at the back end of the row. They were, for the most part, alone, and this only meant that she’d held back the others to speak to him.

 

 

Silence at first but as was customary for them, he was waiting for her to speak first.

 

 

“Victoria Adler?”

 

 

He nodded, his neck stiff and a distinct twitch in his jaw fluttered, “Yes.”

 

 

“The blast from _Snark_?” she asked, wrinkling her nose a little as she named _Snark is the New Black_ , a news rag that specialized in diving through the murkier waters of politics.

 

 

Usually, their reports online and on hard copy were laced with snark and sarcasm, unearthing even the most unsavory, best kept secrets of politicians in the Midwest. They were trash, they were vicious but they were also fact-based most of the time and had indeed been instrumental in toppling the likes of Diane’s predecessor, former Governor Rod Blagojevich.

 

 

Eli had always prided himself that his candidate had yet to grace their pages, but that would no longer be the case now as he pointed towards the iPad that had been left behind by his assistant, occupying the seat they’d left between them and glared at it.

 

 

He waited for her to pick it up, but realized she wasn’t and instead, looked at him with the most neutral expression on her face. Nodding towards the offending piece of technology he took yet another breath.

 

 

“They’re claiming to have detailed reports of a yet unnamed arrest from when you were sixteen,” he rolled his eyes, “It’s absurd and a load of crap, of course, but Victoria Adler has been named as the source of it…god knows that bitch is out for _your_ blood, but apparently, since she can’t find _anything_ on you, she’s decided desperation’s route would be trying to smear you just weeks after--”

 

 

“It’s not true,” she smiled, chuckling a little and shook her head, “Vicky is just feeling less than merry this season, you know that, Eli. She’s upset, but she’s not a threat. At least, not one to give yourself a coronary for.”

 

 

“We could have buried her,” he said snidely, “We _should_ have buried her.”

 

 

They could have, but Diane had put a stop to that. The woman was old, bitter and, as the kids would say, _pissed off_ but she also felt some kind of affection towards her. Victoria Adler had been her mentor in a lot of ways, back when she was just a fledgling Assistant United States Attorney. Victoria had also lent her hand and helped carry on to help her rise to taking on the Deputy position and _then_ State.

 

 

The woman continued to smile, “She’s many things, Eli, and yes, she hasn’t been the friendliest these days, but...she taught me everything I know and she had her hopes. She counted on a lot of things when she put her faith in me. And now they’re gone. You understand her anger?”

 

 

“Yes, but who told her to pin her _other_ hopes on a train wreck that was Scott-Carr?” he rolled his eyes, “If she had so much faith in you, she should have stuck with this campaign, but _noooo_ \--”

 

 

“I know, I know,” she smiled, “But believe me, just give her time…Vicky will come around. If not, she’ll lose steam and we won’t have to worry about her.”

 

 

Diane would have gladly continued her friendship with Victoria and had, in fact, intended to, knowing they both worked for a lot of the same causes both in their State as well as the country, but Victoria had made an error of supporting Wendy Scott-Carr, former State’s Attorney of Cook County, who had recently resigned after being accused of corruption.

 

 

Victoria had tried to shield her candidate then, tried to help Wendy and had tried to reach out to Diane weeks away from elections. Eli had put a stop to that and rightfully so since just after the Senate Elections, Scott-Carr announced her resignation from her office.

 

 

It had gotten out that Cook County Judge Victoria Adler was a close relation of Scott-Carr and she had, subsequently, been included in the backlash that followed the disgraced politician’s downfall. In turn, Victoria blamed Diane, accusing her of turning her back and being ungrateful. Diane took a brunt of it, even though Eli had lashed out right back in privacy, daring Judge to deny that he _had_ warned her about her latest protégé.

 

 

“And the rumored arrest?” he knew it was a load of crap, but he asked anyway, just to clear the air. He did not get to where he was--as well as his candidate--by being an idiot.

 

 

“A ploy,” Diane smirked, “Not a very good one and, honestly, not Vicky’s best _but_ I assume she was holding back. She could make so much more noise, but she didn’t. There’s something left there, Eli.”

 

 

“Would I even want to _know_ what _else_ could be left?”

 

 

“I wouldn’t know,” she smiled serenely, “But it’s the holidays and we have a full year ahead, if I’m not mistaken...can’t we just settle for now and let everyone breathe? I need it, so do you. How’s Marissa?”

 

 

“Fine,” he sighed, “Still making noises about heading off to Israel. She’s loving the idea of needling me with the fact that I have this image of the Israeli version of her blowing her up to pieces in the middle of the desert.”

 

 

“I thought she was talking about visiting a kibbutz?”

 

 

“Yeah, and of _course_ nothing ever happens in places like that!”

 

 

She chuckled, “You are _so_ melodramatic--”

 

 

“Excuse me!” he said, an indignant fire alighting his features.

 

 

“--but I _understand_ ,” she said, raising a hand and effectively cutting him off so she could finish. “But she is every inch your daughter, Eli, and believe me, she’s only just begun.”

 

 

“Oh, hell, do _not_ tell me that.”

 

 

She laughed, the melodious sound filling their quiet area and drifting towards the front. It was as infectious at it always was and the political strategist found himself laughing along, only to have it cut short when he saw two men dressed in the clichéd yet apropos black suits coming towards them. Instantly, the laughter died away from his lips and he straightened up, alerting his companion who followed his gaze.

 

 

Her reaction was the same, the humor disappearing from her features to be replaced by a more serious expression as she stood up and met the two men and waited. Eli, ever alert, stood at the same time.

 

 

“Problems, gentlemen?” Eli asked coolly though he found himself clenching his fist again as his heart’s pace picked up a notch. They were in an airport and to have those two obviously break the boundaries that had been set by the woman in charge had set to be able to speak to him, there had to be something serious happening.

 

 

“There’s a possibility of a situation,” the head of security of the detail assigned to the Senator from Chicago said in a practiced tone they only ever heard whenever he felt there was _something_ to be worried about. “Undetermined as of now, but we’re looking into it.”

 

 

“What situation?” the woman asked, calm and poised though Eli was sure she was reacting just as she was _inside_. They were pros when it came to appearances, but he’s been with her long enough to know.

 

 

“We’re checking, ma’am, but we would feel much better if we can get you to a more secure area?”

 

 

“We’re secure enough,” she looked around, seeing the private waiting area that had been delegated to them.

 

 

Normally she would have refused such a blatant display of special treatment but since taking her position as well as the current possibilities laid out for her by the President that already had the news networks buzzing, she knew she was likely to attract more attention than usual. She didn’t like this part of the job, of being a public figure, but she went on with it anyway, knowing she didn’t have much of a choice.

 

 

“It’s just us and my staff, surely causing more disruptions is unnecessary?” she questioned, her tone modulated in an effort to not be as difficult as possible. Their jobs were hard enough, to have a stubborn and bullheaded protectee was surely not the additional baggage that could make their jobs easier, “It’s a full airport, Mr. Coyne, and the attendants are already out on a limb accommodating us as well as the passengers on this busy holiday season. Surely a bit more of a confirmation should be in order?”

 

 

“Of course, Senator, but protocol--”

 

 

“What exactly is going on, Justin?” Eli cut in, “What situation?”

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

“You’re kidding.”

 

 

“I’m sorry, sir, but we’d like to offer you--”

 

 

“No, no,” he shook his head, “We booked _this_ flight. We’re not about to sit here for another _five_ hours for the next one. Somebody obviously made a mistake and I don’t care who as long as you fix it.”

 

 

The flushed airline attendant opened her mouth to say something, only to close it again as she continued to furiously run her hands over the keyboard in her station. The flight to from Washington, DC to Chicago was fully booked already, including the extra seats and while she knew she wasn’t the one responsible for that, someone sure was and she was paying for it. The man in front of her didn’t seem dangerous, but he was irate to say the least and the young girl next to him obviously was uncomfortable.

 

 

But the flight was booked and there was nothing else she could do except apologize. It wasn’t as if he was wrong since he had indeed booked the flight and had come in during the appropriated time for checking in. The man problem, she guessed though wouldn’t dare say, was the sudden arrival of a certain group that took the rest of the available seats. With the holidays, overbooking wasn’t out of the ordinary and she was pretty sure whoever was responsible had decided they could just apologize and book the other passengers to a later flight to accommodate the first ones who had arrived.

 

 

Still, even knowing that, what could _she_ do? She just manned the desk. And it didn’t help that she risked a glance at the girl again, catching sight of her light gray eyes and pale skin. She’d been such a chatterbox when they approached, now she was next to whom she assumed was the father, standing quietly with an occasional confused look on her face, sure to be wondering just what happened.

 

 

“I’m sorry, Mr.--”

 

 

“Excuse me, is there a problem here?”

 

 

The woman behind the counter froze, recognizing the face instantly after having her friend point him out before she ended her shift. She was glad she _barely_ stammered when she explained the current situation--overbooked flight and the two passengers in front of her, who had already supposedly booked online, had lost their seats by some sheer mistake.

 

 

“And we would very much like to get back to Chicago,” the man finished for her, looking just as displeased as before. If he knew the other man or if he even cared, it didn’t show. Instead, he continued, “I’m due for court tomorrow and my daughter is due for an event in her school. If we take the later flight, she won’t get any sleep.”

 

 

“Daaaad,” came the whining beside him, this time the girl inching away from her parent with the scowl that was typical of kids her age whenever parents started embarrassing them.

 

 

“Oh, you’re a lawyer, sir?” Eli Gold said conversationally, a smile crinkling the edge of his eyes.

 

 

“Forensics,” the other man replied, “Though I honestly can’t figure why that should matter, what I do.”

 

 

“Dad,” this time, the girl was close to her father, tugging on his tan coat though she wasn’t looking at him.

 

 

“Not now, Mad,” he said simply, turning to the attendant again.

 

 

“No, dad, seriously...”

 

 

“I’m Eli Gold,” the other man offered. “Now, Mr…?”

 

 

“McVeigh,” he said and watched as the other’s man’s eye twitched a little. “Kurt McVeigh.”

 

 

“McVeigh?” the suit echoed and Kurt didn’t need a neon sign to realize the reason behind the reaction.

 

 

He waved his hand absently, “Changed it from _Bundy_.”

 

 

Eli stared at him for a moment before he began to laugh, nodding as he smoothed down the front of his obviously expensive suit, “A man with a sense of humor. Very good.”

 

 

Kurt shrugged, “My daughter, Madison.”

 

 

The blonde, her height reaching nearly up to her father’s shoulder, waved feebly behind him and muttered something that only her father seemed to hear since he reacted by shaking his head a little, more out of what seemed like a tired gesture than an impatient one.

 

 

Eli smiled in a way that told him he understood the trials and tribulations of impatient teens. He nodded slowly, closing his eyes for a moment in an effort to restrain himself before turning towards his daughter.

 

 

“I’m sorry to barge in like this, but I was just wondering if perhaps there’s a problem?”

 

 

“Actually, yeah,” Kurt motioned towards the counter, “Just some…errors in booking.”

 

 

Eli turned to the attendant and she nodded, “We overbooked and unintentionally bumped the McVeigh’s. It was an honest mistake, sir.”

 

 

“Of course,” the man nodded, glancing at the father and daughter as the girl seemed to suddenly come to life, pulling at her father’s coat almost impatiently while looking in another direction.

 

 

“Dad…?”

 

 

“Not now, Madison.”

 

 

“Dad, seriously…”

 

 

“Mads.”

 

 

“Dad…”

 

 

Eli was reminded of his own more headstrong offspring as he watched as the man visibly restrained himself and turned to his daughter with an expression on his face that he was also quite familiar with, “Yes, Madison?”

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

Diane Lockhart liked to think she had good instincts and she did.

 

 

It has served her well over the years and she had learned to anticipate not just in the world of politics but in her everyday life as well. It was an instinct she liked to think she inherited from her father, the reason why she was where she was. He had had big dreams for her, she had followed him and now, here she was. She’d learned early in life being an idiot didn’t quite pay off as much as people thought.

 

 

And that’s what led her to pulling her aide back seconds only after dispatching her to follow after Eli Gold who had volunteered to deal with the situation that had the hairs of her detail standing up on end like cats sensing danger. She wasn’t surprised Eli would volunteer, knowing he would also do a damage assessment in between finding out.

 

 

Sending the aide was really something she’d decided upon by herself, wanting to at least have an idea what was happening at the counter. There was a man, a girl who had his features she assumed was his daughter and a flushed attendant. Even from the area where she was separated, she had observed through the glass walls that were free of the frost design that were popular at the moment.

 

 

The head of her protection detail, Justin Coyne, had bristled, of course, telling her it was best if she stepped back, but she didn’t. She didn’t mean to be a pain, but if she was honest at all, she was sick of this part of the deal. She wasn’t dense, she knew the reason why her detail had been upped and the numbers added. Her position was higher, made her an even bigger target. Plus, there were also other things that were being attended to behind the scenes that were making waves behind the scenes that were, as of now, still just whispers amongst certain circles.

 

 

Her instincts kicking in, Diane realized that the upping of her detail--effective as of three days prior, the Treasury Department declaring it a precaution for the holidays though _she_ knew better--had ended up adding to the number of seats they were taking in the plane. She had not been informed of that, not while the airline personnel had all but tripped all over themselves trying to accommodate her, the extra seats they’d gotten had obviously ended up in the ‘situation’ that was developing.

 

 

This was beyond what she had intended and she hoped it wasn’t what Eli had disregarded as well after a rather heated debate as to whether or not the increase in security was necessary for a trip back home. Eli had won that round, but only after a few underhanded swipes of his own. There was no apology but there had been a silent communication that had Diane forgiving her political strategist-turned-Chief of Staff.

 

 

It was bad enough that something like _this_ could get out and be taken out of context, which was almost an inevitable these days with all the blogging and tweeting in the current age. To have to be responsible in causing yet another disruption in someone else’s life, especially this time of year, was not something she felt entirely too comfortable adding to things to live with.

 

 

“Stay back, Justin,” she said over her shoulder after calling her aide back and ignored the look of utter surprise on the younger woman’s face. She’d done far more outrageous things in the past to warrant such looks so Diane easily ignored it.

 

 

“But Sen--”

 

 

“You heard me,” she said simply, “We can’t afford to draw any more attention that we already have. This may be DC but you know as well as I do, the sight of an imposing man in a black suit still draws attention just because a lot of people think the Secret Service are _cool_.”

 

 

The romanticizing of bodyguards and agents were easily something she could chalk up to literature and the media. For her, it was constricting, something she could have lived without if it was at all possible. She just wanted some room to breathe, that was all. She could do the job for ten decades or twenty, she was sure she would never quite get used to having a group of men and women follow her like living and breathing shadows.

 

 

Coyne stood back, clearly displeased, but nodded anyway although she did not miss the fact that his eyes met that of his other agents’. He will stay back, but that didn’t mean they would be far. She could easily predict now that as soon as she turned her back, someone would be skirting around her radius anyway and track her as well as the people around her. She wanted to scream already but she knew better.

 

 

How the President and his family dealt with this, knowing his security would be _far_ more constricting, heavier and stricter, she didn’t know. The kids especially, she wondered of them. But she also knew their positions were direr than hers. Those children and their mother were prize targets, had reasons to be afraid. She had yet to reach that point, to feel that kind of need to be protected. Eli told her sooner or later she would feel that, but she hadn’t yet. Not when she was Governor and not in the last month as Senator.

 

 

She hoped she would never feel that kind of need, knowing that _if_ she ever did, that would mean she would be feeling a kind of fear she hasn’t quite felt. It’s the kind of fear she _never_ wanted to feel because as much as possible, she liked to pretend she was normal, as normal as one could get with a job like hers.

 

 

Walking past the glass doors that separated her from the other passengers, Diane strode forward with the same grace and poise she would whether entering the Senate or someone’s living room. With the coverage of the election and particularly those that had been aimed at her and her win, she knew there were people bound to take notice. People looked, huddled and leant their heads together when she passed.

 

 

Some who managed to make eye contact as they stared received a polite smile that was kind enough to cajole them into smiling back but not enough for a light to reach her eyes. Catching sight of them, people in groups, maybe friends and family, all headed somewhere together for the holidays, suddenly recalled that feeling of emptiness she’d been trying to ignore as of late.

 

 

Diane wondered if they had some sort of idea that she would easily have traded her life with theirs to have even just a little of what they had, maybe feel what they feel sharing the season with people they truly cared about and loved. She was flying back to Chicago with her staff, but they would be headed back to their own families for the holidays and while she had plans of her own, parties scheduled and old friends to see, it still wasn’t quite as the same.

 

 

She shrugged off the thought, catching sight of a shy little girl ducking behind a chair and peeking at her and she smiled back, a real one this time. She could have sworn, despite the distance, she heard the giggle as the mass of curls bounced on the child’s head. That warmed her heart a little but did little to quell the brush of emptiness.

 

 

Approaching the counter, the young girl with the man who was still in conversation with Eli, was the first to catch sight of her. Diane was used to meeting teens, especially during campaign season, but this one was a little younger than the typical group she met with. She couldn’t  have been more than fourteen at most, but judging from the jeans, sneakers, the bright red jacket and dark blonde hair that was left freely down the middle of her back and the particularly innocent look that only a child could have, she imagined the girl could be younger.

 

 

Why that struck her, Diane wasn’t sure, but she smiled at the girl gently anyway and pretended not to notice her begin to tug at her father’s coat.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

“Dad, it’s--” a nail painted in an electric blue peeked through finger-less gloves she wore, her eyes wide and her other hand still holding on to her father’s coat.

 

 

By the time he turned, a woman was already next to him, intercepting the suit he’d just begun speaking to. His daughter clung to his side, phone forgotten in her pocket as she stared at the woman. He knew her, they both did and he was pretty sure most of the people in the area did as well.

 

 

She was the Senator who’d stolen the seat right from under Patrick Tilderbrook, the Republican whom a lot had predicted would wreak enough havoc in the current administration and add to the numbers of the members of their party.

 

 

It did not escape him how the suit stepped back, nodding almost imperceptibly as the woman took over, keeping a distance though not straying too far away. Both men’s eyes met though they didn’t say a word while his daughter clung to him even closer, calling him quietly though he wasn’t sure if she was truly aware. He’d never quite seen that look before, but he could guess it was akin to being star struck.

 

 

“Excuse me,” the Senator said in a startlingly soft voice than he had imagined though she was speaking to the attendant behind the counter, “Would it be possible to speak in private?”

 

 

“O-of course, Senator,” the woman answered, smiling nervously, “But I-I could call my supervisor, if you’d like…?”

 

 

“That would be nice,” the Senator smiled, “Thank you.”

 

 

As if by magic, said supervisor didn’t take more than five seconds to appear after the request, standing behind the counter with a gracious smile, “Yes, Senator?”

 

 

If the politician was startled by the sudden appearance of the man, it didn’t show. Instead, she allowed him to lead her away, mostly in the direction from where she came from and he didn’t miss the intimidating yet subtle figure in a few feet away, most probably tailing her every movement.

 

 

Kurt pretended he didn’t notice the way the Senator’s dress looked or the part where he wondered if she wasn’t cold without a coat. He also pretended he hadn’t had some kind of reaction when her eyes met his for less than a second before she was led away or how she looked even more attractive in person.

 

 

“Dad that was…” his daughter tugged at his coat insistently again, her light blue eyes still wide and full of awe and he was sure he knew what was coming next. “That _was_ Senator Lockhart…Diane Lockhart. I’ve seen her on TV. She’s from Chicago. She spoke at my school. She _so_ pretty in person. Oh, my god, dad. Dad?”

 

 

Madison McVeigh hadn’t babbled like that in a while and the things she said were things he knew already. She wasn’t exactly one of those kids who glued themselves to CNN or the newspaper, but she knew of the woman. The coverage had been strong the last few months and he remembered the then Governor had made quite an impression on the girl when she was younger. The Senator had beaten him to being ‘cool’ in Madison’s eyes back then too.

 

 

“Yeah,” he nodded, fairly amused as he looked at his daughter but their interaction was interrupted before he could risk teasing her.

 

 

“You’re on top of our waiting list and--oh,” the attendant began, only to beam at him, “There’s been _one_ cancelation, sir. A seat for Chicago--”

 

 

He blinked, “One seat?”

 

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

 

Kurt tried not to let his frustration resurface, “My daughter is _thirteen_. We’re going to need _two_.”

 

 

“It’s okay, dad,” Madison piped up, apparently out of her daze and poking her father on the arm with a wicked grin, “I don’t mind leaving you behind.”

 

 

And of course, since she was back to her smartass self, the glare he shot her way didn’t do a thing. Madison only responded to that whenever she knew she actually did something wrong.

 

 

“We still have thirty minutes before boarding, sir,” she said, almost quietly. “If another opens, you _will_ be first on our list.”

 

 

“Come on, dad,” Madison said, sobering somewhat as she pulled his arm off the counter, “She’s done her thing, let’s just sit down.”

 

 

The shift in her behavior had him noticing then--his teenager was pretty normal in terms of mood swings, but to go from smartass to ‘the good daughter’ was curious.

 

 

“You okay, Mads?” he asked as he followed her, sitting down next to her and peering at her closely.

 

 

She smiled, sheepish, “Fine, dad. Too much excitement? And,” she gave him a grin, “I didn’t sleep enough last night. I just wanna go home.”

 

 

He nodded, putting an arm over her slim shoulders and felt even more curious as she merely slumped on him without a sign of protest or anything of the sort. “I know. I’m trying.”

 

 

Kurt sat back, pulling his daughter along and closed his eyes, wondering just what the hell he’d done this time to make this trip get all bungled up. The past week had been spent doing one activity from another and he’d been for all of it, going with his daughter and his in-laws as they showed her around the nation’s capital. She was beat and he knew that could explain the sudden shift and that made him want to go home even more.

 

 

Chicago was calling them home.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

“Mr. McVeigh?”

 

 

He opened his eyes, blinking a little as he sat up properly and Madison untangled herself from his grasp. The same attendant stood in front of them with a smile on her face. In her hand, she held boarding passes.

 

 

“We found two seats for you and your daughter, sir,” she went on, “You can start boarding in fifteen minutes.”

 

 

Madison let out a sigh, “Thanks!”

 

 

Kurt reached for the papers that were being handed to him, peering at the numbers then frowned at the woman, “We’re not in the same seats?”

 

 

“I’m sorry, sir, but that’s the best we have,” she said apologetically, “We can put one of you in business class and we can _assure_ you that we will have someone watching over your daughter--”

 

 

“ _Business class_?” his daughter echoed, grinning now as she perked up, “I’ve never flown business class before! Holla!”

 

 

“That’s not acceptable,” he shook his head, “You can’t just think I’ll let my daughter fly--”

 

 

“Dad, you are being so uncool,” his daughter muttered next to him then her eyes widened, “Dad! I bet it was _her_! I bet it was…” she looked around, grinning to him with twinkling eyes and leaned forward to whisper as if they were sharing a secret, “ _The Senator_.”

 

 

“Madison McVeigh.”

 

 

The girl looked affronted by the slight rebuke and reared back, “What? Come on, dad!”

 

 

Kurt stood up, towering over the other woman even though that was not his intention, “This isn’t allowable, I’m sorry. My daughter may think she’s all grown up, but _no_. She’s _thirteen_.”

 

 

And he knew just what exactly his thirteen year old could do sitting alone in business class. Madison wasn’t, in any measure, a brat or a wayward teen, but she had her moments too. She was every inch still a kid trying to grow up faster than he would like and tended to do certain things, especially when she was excited. And heaven knew she was liking the prospect of flying business class a little too much.

 

 

The girl gave her father a snarky look, turning her nose up before glancing somewhere else. The attendant worked on placating him but by then, something else had caught the teen’s attention. Later, he would smack himself upside the head and remind himself that Madison being quiet was rarely ever a good thing.

 

 

By the large glass windows, she could already see the plane but if she glanced sideways, right at the area that was closed off, she saw a familiar blob of color behind the frosted walls. She smiled, her eyes widening a little before shooting a surreptitious glance at her father who was still trying to get them a seat next to each other. She rolled her eyes the way only girls her age could before standing quietly, holding on to her knapsack. It was too tempting and the smile on the girl’s face was the perfect indication of just how tempted she was.

 

 

It only took about ten seconds before thirteen year old decided, slipping her bag up her shoulder and stuffed her beloved phone protectively into her jacket pocket. With barely a _whoosh_ , she darted off, faster than her classic high cut black Chuck Taylors could take her.

 

 

Another fifty seconds and the thirteen year old was in, clearing through the glass doors and jumping right through into the other room.

 

 

-o0o-

 

 

“Just tell Will I’ll--”

 

 

Their conversation was once again cut short when they heard various voices call out and Eli shot out of his seat. Diane had her back turned to the doors so by the time she could see for herself what was happening, her aide, personal assistant and security detail were obscuring her view of the doors already, obviously trying to keep someone away.

 

 

For a moment, her mind flashed to a scenario that had her heart thumping against her chest, but then she realized her _assistant_ was there and the security detail who’d manage to rush to her side did not have his gun drawn.

 

 

“Oh, hell, what now?” Eli grumbled as he glared at the group.

 

 

Not for the first time, Diane was thankful for having been blessed with being tall as well as making her a lover of high heels because peering through the small crowd, she spotted a familiar head of hair.

 

 

“Excuse me, Miss, you are _not_ allowed in this area,” Justin Coyne was saying.

 

 

“But I just wanted to talk to the Senator because my dad--”

 

 

“I’m sorry, that’s not--”

 

 

“Justin,” Diane called, not quite raising her voice though putting it the pitch she knew her head of security would easily hear.

 

 

“Ma’am--”

 

 

“Is that Miss McVeigh?” she questioned, moving towards the group, only to be served a look from Coyne, shaking his head lightly and she had to fight rolling her eyes. “Oh, for the love of…Mr. Coyne, she’s--I believe--thirteen. Apart from a Facebook and Twitter account, I don’t think she’ll be quite armed to shoot me.”

 

 

“But I can shoot a twelve-gauge shotgun,” the voice piped up although she was still being blocked.

 

 

Diane couldn’t help but smile at that, wondering what could possibly explain a girl her age knowing what a twelve-gauge was let alone shooting it. But it didn’t help Coyne who stood there with a frown creasing his handsome features. The man was too serious for his own good, she thought. Not that she blamed him, having a job like his.

 

 

“ _Not_ that I have one right now, I mean, those things are _hug_ e,” the girl went on, “And, you know, I only know how ‘cause of, erm, skeet shooting.”

 

 

Diane smothered the laugh that threatened to escape and instead said, “Let her through,” in the Senator’s voice she used when she needed it to be clear that she was leaving no room for protest and they all stepped aside, revealing the grinning teen who held a few papers to her chest.

 

 

“Hi.”

 

 

“Hello.”

 

 

“Uh, I only skeet shoot, I promise,” Madison explained then she grinned and smiled proudly, “I’m pretty good at it…I caught a double last time.”

 

 

“Wow,” was the only reaction the older woman could muster, trying to recall the size of a twelve-gauge and trying to match it with the graceful teen in front of her wearing a proud toothy grin.

 

 

“I don’t shoot people or anything ‘cause that would be bad,” Madison went on, “My dad is a forensic expert, you know, like CSI? He helps people solve crimes and stuff. But his main thing is ballistics, guns, see?” Then her eyes widened, “But _he_ doesn’t shoot people, I swear…I mean, grandpa says maybe he’ll start someday, you know, when I start getting boyfriends or stuff like that, but boys are pretty stupid at my age so I’m not interested.”

 

 

“Well, that’s…good,” she smiled, “Dads tend to react like that sometimes.”

 

 

“Did your dad ever shoot a boy who liked you?”

 

 

The older woman chuckled, “Oh, my, no. My father wasn’t too fond of guns. But that didn’t stop him from scaring them with other things.”

 

 

“Like?”

 

 

A pause, “Huh…actually, I’m not sure,” she replied, as if only realizing it now, “By the time I come down, they’re already terrified straight into silence.”

 

 

“Oh, wow. That’s almost scary, if you think about it. Very Godfather. You should ask sometime,” Madison said, shrugging, “But you can only tell me. Not my dad. The guns are enough.”

 

 

Diane chuckled, shaking her head slightly as she marveled at a thirteen year old girl referencing The Godfather as if it was the most natural thing to her. She was pretty sure Eli was already intending on getting every file he could on the father and daughter by now, “Can I help you, Miss McVeigh?”

 

 

“Ew,” the girl wrinkled her nose, “That makes me sound _so_ old. I’m Madison. Madison Rose McVeigh, but the Rose part is a secret…wait, why did I tell you?”

 

 

Her self-induced bewilderment caused the older woman to smile, chuckling a little behind her hand just in case the girl took offense at being laughed at. Diane took the few steps towards the girl, trying not to tower over her with her height _and_ her shoes even though she knew it was highly unlikely.

 

 

She stood in front of the girl, not quite acknowledging the others as they moved away though Justin and another agent stood by the doors imposingly. “Well, it can be _my_ secret too,” she said, lowering her head and said in a low voice to the girl, as if it really _was_ a secret. “And maybe I can tell _you_ mine so we can be even.”

 

 

“You have two names too?” the girl asked, almost skeptical as she peered at the woman, suddenly feeling conscious of her favorite red jacket and jeans. This was _not_ how you meet famous people, she thought dejectedly, wondering why she hadn’t dressed better for the flight home.

 

 

“Mhm,” Diane hummed, “But like I said, it’s a secret--”

 

 

“I promise I won’t tell!” the girl said insistently.

 

 

“Well…”

 

 

“I won’t Tweet or even Facebook it!” Madison said, bouncing a little. “I mean, I _swear_. I haven’t even Tweeted to my best friend I’ve seen you. And she’s like _grown up_ smart, like, she watches CNN and stuff with her mom, you know? ‘Cause her mom writes for the paper and everything. So she knows _you_ , for sure!”

 

 

“Okay--” from behind Diane, Eli decided to step in at the mention of a possible link to a journalist but found himself being waved back.

 

 

“You promise?” the woman looked almost skeptical, “It’s a secret, you know? Not even Wikipedia has it.”

 

 

“Swear on my baby, I mean, my dog,” the girl’s fingerless gloved-hand shot up, “And he’s, like, the most important thing in my life other than my dad. He’s _so_ cute and perfect.”

 

 

Diane smiled and said, “Okay, you’ve convinced me,” then she bent down, tucking the girl’s hair behind her ear then leaned close enough to whisper her second name.

 

 

The only indication that she had indeed been told was the comical way the girl’s eyes widened, remaining so when the taller woman pulled back with an impish grin of her own. The girl’s hands were curled together in front of her lips, as if physically trying to restrain herself from bursting as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

 

 

“Serious?” Madison asked, smiling happily.

 

 

“Serious,” she nodded, “I’m not quite a fan, but it’s there, so what can I do, right?”

 

 

“It’s pretty cool!” Madison declared, “Better than Rose.”

 

 

“I’ll switch any day,” Diane teased then looked past the doors, “Where’s your father, Madison? Weren’t you with him? Is there a problem?”

 

 

The excitement faded a little as the girl straightened up, “Yeah, about that--”

 

 

“Madison Rose McVeigh.”

 

 

“Uh-oh,” the girl muttered.

 

 

“Busted?” Diane asked, muttering to her.

 

 

Justin had obviously relaxed enough to let someone in and this time, it was the girl’s father.

 

 

Madison deflated a little, “Yep.”

 

 

Diane stopped the laugh that threatened to bubble up and turned towards the parent standing next to her head of security. It was only then she noticed he had the same shade of light blue eyes as his daughter though their hair color contrasted--his dark that was almost black hair with brushes of gray here and there worked favorably well for him while her dark blonde hair seemed even lighter under the lights. They shared the same lips although she couldn’t tell for sure, considering that the man looked furious with his jaw set and his mouth stiff. She didn’t know why but somehow, she imagined his smile would be nice.

 

 

“Dad, I was just--”

 

 

“You do _not_ wander off,” the father said, his voice clearly stating he was not at all amused by his offspring’s stunt. “And while we’re at it, you _do not_ go on barging into places.”

 

 

Diane glanced at the girl, noticing that she had moved from standing in front of her to beside her and had to force herself not to speak up. She knew well enough than to interfere with parents when disciplining their children, no matter whether or not she was included in the _why_. She knew it was essential that parents not be undermined in front of their children, especially in crucial moments like discipline.

 

 

“But I just wanted to--”

 

 

“Mad,” he man sighed, as if suddenly running out of steam, “You made me _worry_.”

 

 

“I’m sorry,” the girl said, her voice lower and Diane felt her smaller hand curl around hers and she was glad she hid her surprise and stopped herself from stiffening. It seemed as if it was the most normal gesture between her and the girl despite the fact they’d only met barely ten minutes prior.

 

 

“It’s okay,” her father said then finally allowed his attention to fall on the woman next to his daughter. He tried not to wonder just what it was that had Madison reaching towards the woman like that. It wasn’t just because she’d seen her on TV, he knew just by the way she’d sought out her hand. It was almost familiar, natural in a way that had him suddenly feeling a lump on his throat. “I’m sorry, Senator, my--”

 

 

“It’s alright,” Diane smiled, “She just wanted to speak to me although she hasn’t had the chance to say why.”

 

 

Perking up at being let off the hook--if she wasn’t, her dad would have dragged her back to her seat already where he could properly chastise her--and spoke up, “It’s about the seat you got!”

 

 

“Got?” Diane tried to appear confused even though she knew exactly what the girl was talking about.

 

 

“Yeah, the one in business class?” the girl bounced again, “You know _I_ have never flown business? Dad has, for work, but I don’t get to come because his work--”

 

 

“Mads…”

 

 

The girl barely took a breath, “Anyway, dad’s all antsy about the whole part where we can’t sit together and since he’s being _so_ uncool, I just wanted to know if there was a way we could sit together? Doesn’t have to be business class and all, really. I’ll live. Dad’s just being paranoid and it would be nice to needle him but I’ve had the _best_ week and I don’t wanna ruin it for us…so, erm, actually, that’s it.”

 

 

“Madison,” Diane said gently, smiling at the girl, “I tried, believe me, but the airline was already booked and…well, I can try and get your dad in business, but--”

 

 

“No, it’s fine,” Kurt shook his head, “Mads just likes to…exaggerate.”

 

 

“What? Dad!” the teen obviously took offense at being made to look bad.

 

 

“Hey, Madison?”

 

 

“You can call me Mads or Mad,” the girl grinned, “I like both. I get mad a lot…crazy or pissed--”

 

 

“ _Madison Rose_ , language!”

 

 

The girl met the older woman’s eyes and rolled her own, further amusing her, “Either way, I get _mad_ a lot. Works for me.”

 

 

“Alright, _Mads_ ,” Diane tried out the name and found she liked it too, “Why don’t you chat with Mr. Gold for a bit? I’m going to try and talk to you dad…see if we can sort this out?”

 

 

“But--”

 

 

“We’ll be right here,” she said soothingly although the way her eyes met Coyne’s, who was still very much there in the background, “We won’t be long.”

 

 

“Hey Mad,” Eli said, appearing next to the girl then, “The Senator actually has  a Twitter account, why don’t you try and see if we can follow each other, hm?”

 

 

Madison looked at the woman next to her, “For real?”

 

 

Diane chuckled, shaking her head a little, “I’m trying to get the hang of it and so far I haven’t Tweeted any state secrets so it’s a work in progress.”

 

 

“That is _so_ cool…” the girl said, happily following Eli and Diane pretended not to notice how easily her hand slipped from hers and how it made her miss the warmth she hadn’t even realized was there almost immediately.

 

 

Once the girl was well out of earshot, plopping next to Eli Gold with a tablet, Diane turned to her father.

 

 

“Your daughter,” she smiled a little.

 

 

“Yeah,” Kurt nodded, “Thirteen and…a whirlwind.”

 

 

“I can see that,” she grinned, “I’m sorry…we haven’t been properly introduced--”

 

 

Kurt nodded, “I know who you are…I’m Kurt McVeigh.”

 

 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. McVeigh,” she said and they shook hands and steadfastly, she ignored the thought that his hands were warmer than his daughter’s though softer than she imagined. “I understand…about the seats. I apologize. I believe we were the, erm, party that led to the complications, most likely caused the overbooking.”

 

 

“I guessed as much,” the man said simply and she almost laughed at that, more out of surprise than anything. If it had been others, they would have brushed it off and laid blame somewhere else. His different approach was most refreshing. She liked the streak of honesty.

 

 

“Well, I apologize,” she said, glancing behind her to catch Madison with Eli, “She seems to be a good girl…and the ticket’s been paid for and she obviously wants to go home. So do you.”

 

 

“Paid for?” he frowned a little, “Yeah, about that…sure that was a smart way of using taxpayer’s money?”

 

 

Diane bit the inside of her cheek, “It’s not taxpayer money, I assure you.”

 

 

“ _You_ paid?” he asked, surprise evident in his features.

 

 

She waved a dismissive hand, “You’ll not be too far and--”

 

 

“Excuse me, Senator, I get it, but,” he paused, shaking his head a little and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand consciously, “She’s my daughter. I hope you understand.”

 

 

“I know, I do,” Diane nodded, pausing then thought for a moment before looking at him again, “But…how about a compromise?”

 

 

“How?”

 

 

She motioned towards her aide who was standing not too far away, “I can arrange for Madison to be seated next to me. Mr. Coyne, my head of security, will be onboard with us. She will be looked after just as I will be by him and his team.”

 

 

Kurt thought for a moment, weighing his options.

 

 

“DC is about to get more snow,” Diane said, softly as her eyes drifted towards the windows where the skies were quite gray and drab. “And even though Madison seems exuberant now, I notice she’s quite pale…I’m not sure if that’s normal with her, but with the weather? I think getting home would be better…for both of you. It’s going to be colder in Chicago as well, but at least she’ll be home where she can be comfortable and get bundled up, surrounded by the things she loves.”

 

 

His head shot up at the mention of his daughter. Kurt _had_ noticed the way his daughter’s skin seemed paler than usual but he hadn’t expected a stranger would. Add the way Madison’s mood seemed to swing more than usual, he couldn’t deny he’d entertained the idea that she was catching something. The fact that the Senator had noticed, he didn’t quite know how to take that exactly.

 

 

“I’m sure she misses her bedroom,” the woman added after a brief pause, smiling.

 

 

He quirked his eyebrows, wondering whether he was more amused or, dare he say, _touched_ that she was turning out to be less than a phony (or a real damned good actress) than he could ever imagine a politician ever being, not that he’s even come this up close and personal with many. Of course he knew Madison missed her room, but he was curious as to how a complete stranger seemed to be so attuned to his child in a way that he sometimes forgot to know how to.

 

 

“Mhm,” Diane nodded, “Let’s just say I know a thing or two about missing the comforts of home.”

 

 

Their eyes met again and this time, it was the formidable woman who looked away first, a curious twitch in the corner of her lips catching his attention before he found himself nodding, “Okay.”

 

 

“You’ll be joining the flight then?”

 

 

“Yeah,” he nodded, “Mads tends to get _mad_ when she’s made to sit still for five hours straight. And you’re right…she wants to go home.”

 

 

“Good,” Diane smiled, “I’ll have my aide confirm with the personnel, in the meantime, it’s almost time for boarding. I’m sure you need to get your things ready.”

 

 

Kurt nodded, unable to think of anything else to say, “Thank you, Senator Lockhart.”

 

 

A curious hue of pink rose to her cheeks but she turned away, looking back at Madison who had begun to laugh at something as she sat next to Eli. He wondered if he had imagined it.

 

 

“It’s Diane, Mr. McVeigh.”

 

 

“And its Kurt then, Sen-- _Diane_.”

 

 

Eyes meeting again, the Senator and the Forensics Expert shared a smile.

 

 

And he almost spoke, trying to find something more to say until an familiar excited squeal burst forth not too far away and his daughter’s voice broke through the silence that had descended upon them both.

 

 

“Hey, Dad, you’ll _never_ believe what Mr. Gold just told me!”


	2. Fluing Around

 

Eli Gold was trying to burn a whole through the back of her head.

 

 

But she didn’t care.

 

 

Her aide was hovering a seat behind Eli, papers in hand and her BlackBerry on the ready with what she was sure was a message from Will Gardner _again_.

 

 

She ignored her too.

 

 

Her head of security, the ever serious on the job Mr. Justin Coyne who was actually quite amusing when he allowed himself to be, was hovering with his two cronies somewhere, she was sure. She ignored them too, the thugs. They meant well and she was usually cooperative with them and had a rapport that she truly worked hard on building—those men were so _serious_ and committed to their job and their damned rule book, trying to prove them _human_ was like pulling teeth with her bare hands.

 

 

On normal days, she would be nicer to them, be more cooperative with Coyne, but not today. Not when he was being _such_ a reticent ghoul about letting the McVeigh teenager sit next to her. She was a _teenager_ , for crying out loud, a teenager whose father was no more than fifty feet away.

 

 

And she was willing to bet a year’s salary that her detail had the father _and_ the girl checked out before they started boarding the flight. That included background checks _and_ as well as a slew of other more personal details that she could pin down more on Eli than Coyne and his insistence on checking out every possible threat that may come her way. Technology was impressive these days and that was enough to make her feel just a little bit exasperated at the men around her. It was never enough.

 

 

Coyne and his eternal vigilance that bordered on maddening paranoia—he was getting a _really_ nice Christmas gift this year as well as his beloved mother, something _she_ had picked although at the moment she wanted to _throw_ it at him instead. She was never even particularly violent. The men around her just _made_ her that way.

 

 

Eli and his obvious, undeniable, trademark paranoia—checking every single person she was going to come in contact with for more than ten minutes, making sure she didn’t get caught in photos or film with someone who was _not_ squeaky clean or potentially damage her reputation. That was okay, she expected that, even appreciate it some days, but a _thirteen year old_? She hoped Marissa Gold had something to impressive to drive her father spinning for the holidays, if only to live vicariously through the clever girl.

 

 

Diane Lockhart  was _not_ naïve about what criminals, terrorists or psychopaths were capable of using, including children, to inflict whatever damage they wanted to cause, but this constricting reaction such a brief anomaly to her life was enough to make her want to throttle him with his damned iPad and wring Coyne’s neck with his ever present tie.

 

 

Madison McVeigh, as far as she was concerned, was a typical young American teenager who was coming home from a visit with her grandparents in Washington, DC. She loved music and would prefer not to live without her iPod but her new favorite was her iPhone at the moment, an early Christmas gift from her grandparents, had a good circle of friends with a father who was still trying to keep her from growing up too fast. And Diane also knew she was a sweet girl because despite the eye rolling and muttering, she could see that she was also trying to accommodate that parental need. Like most kids her age, of course she tried to hide it, but it shown through. She was, in every sense, her Daddy’s girl.

 

 

And that was one of the reasons why Diane didn’t broach the topic of her mother. So far, Madison had not mentioned her mother or anything related to the topic and she sensed there was a story in that so she let it rest and stayed away from it. She wasn’t one to pry and she wasn’t about to force it out of anyone.

 

 

Currently, just as the plane was settling at the right altitude, Madison was telling her about her father’s work. Diane didn’t mind. The closest she ever got to forensics were through random books and whenever her television was not on CNN, which it usually was. And the occasional criminal cases she came across though that had been before, she was sure forensics had improved immensely since the last time she was personally in touched with it.

 

 

“So dad works with a _lot_ of people,” Madison said, grinning as she leaned forward a little to speak to Diane. She had been given the window seat, which she loved, but had ignored and opted for conversation instead. “And I’ve met a few of them even if he tries to keep them away from me...he hates it when I see his work.”

 

 

“Oh, how so?” Diane asked. She was quite amused with the openness of the girl; she actually loved listening to her chatter away, being she was quite the storyteller and had that dry sense of humor _without_ a hint of obnoxiousness that Diane didn’t encounter very often in her age group. To Diane, there were times the girl seemed older than her years.

 

 

“Well, he mostly works on shootings and stuff,” she shrugged, absently pushing her dark blonde hair behind her ear, “And it gets pretty gory…I don’t mind. He’s pretty awesome at it, measuring trajectory and stuff, you know? Where the bullet went and how far…messy, but he kicks butt.”

 

 

“I bet he does,” Diane grinned, silently thanking whatever god was responsible for putting this girl in her way. She was used to flying and usually, she would be tending to those papers her aide was currently holding on to, but listening to Madison was relaxing and fun. She needed it.

 

 

“He’s really good at it,” Madison went on, grinning proudly, “He’s got this friend from the FBI and they’ve known each other _forever_ …he goes to dad sometimes and he keeps trying to get Dad into the FBI, but he doesn’t want to so he annoys him instead he makes fun of them and calls them the ‘Federal Bunch of Idiots’.”

 

 

Diane had suppress the guffaw that almost came out, biting her bottom lip as she began to laugh, her shoulders shaking as she and the girl giggled along. A row behind, Eli’s head shot up at the sound and her aide shared a look with Coyne not too far away. The girl knew something they didn’t and that was how to make Diane Lockhart react like that. As far as they knew, their usually composed Senator, _did not_ giggle like that or grow pink with laughter.

 

 

There was no way Diane was going to forget that, especially considering she had just met with the Director of the FBI two weeks prior. Such a severe man and he’d made quite an impression on her. If the Edgar Hoover stories weren’t enough, _this_ little tidbit from a teenager was going to be enough to tide her over such meetings again. She needed the amusement for those dull encounters.

 

 

“I keep telling him I’ll be like him someday,” Madison said, quieter though there was a glint in her eyes that Diane was fast becoming familiar with, “He’ll probably have a heart attack if I get into police work, you know, be a cop or something like that? So the best option is to do what he does, forensics. Help put people away. I think I can do that. It won’t be as dangerous so Dad won’t be too worried.”

 

 

Diane smiled, “You sound sure.”

 

 

“I am,” Madison nodded, “I wanna be like him and I’m already learning a lot watching Dad and reading books. And I’m not too shabby in the sciences and math. I’d like to go out and be a cop, yeah, that could be cool, but like I said…it’ll drive my Dad _insane_.”

 

 

“I didn’t even know what I wanted to be when I was your age,” Diane said, amused.

 

 

“Really?” Madison grinned, “You never expected that you’ll be a Senator? Not even be the President’s—” she stopped, catching the look in Diane’s eyes and covered her mouth. “Oh! Off topic! Stopping! Stopping!”

 

 

The Senator chuckled, “No, never. I actually didn’t want to, at first. From the start, I always wanted to be a lawyer and that was it. Law was fun for me.”

 

 

“Dad would flip if I talked about becoming a lawyer,” Madison made a face, “Dad doesn’t like lawyers after spending so much time with them in his job…that, and politicians.”

 

 

“That explains a lot,” the older woman smiled.

 

 

“Well, maybe there’s an exception,” Madison grinned playfully, “But I’m not an idiot so I won’t talk about that. Tell me what happened instead! How’d you end up doing what you didn’t want to do?”

 

 

Ignoring the mention of exceptions with a graceful smile, Diane simply shrugged, a move Madame Theroux, her teacher in etiquette, would have smacked her for, as she considered Madison’s question. “I don’t know. I suppose it just happened.”

 

 

The girl laughed a little, “How does ending up a Senator _just happen_? You’ve done a lot of awesome things, you know. Congress, being governor, Senate...people are even making polls about President. Apart from the nutty ones, the only politicians my friends and I know are you and Hillary Clinton.”

 

 

Diane wasn’t sure why that made her cheeks turn a little warm. She wasn’t alien to those chatters, but that’s what they all really were— _chatters_. And Eli Gold. “I can’t think of anything to say that won’t make me sound like a typical grown up. You’ll roll your yes.”

 

 

“Thanks for the warning,” Madison grinned, “But it’s pretty cool, you know…,meeting a Senator.” She stopped, her eyes growing wide, “Oh, my god. I met a Senator. I’m on a plane with a Senator. _A_ Senator. I’m talking to a Senator. A _real_ Senator.”

 

 

Diane laughed and this time, she didn’t try to suppress it. Madison had said it in a way as if she’d only realized the facts, as if she it was only then hitting her that she was, indeed, sitting in a plane with a Senator. On others, it would have seemed rehearsed and overplayed, but with her, it was more endearing and hilarious.

 

 

“Dude, if I _was_ a geek and six years old, I would so bring you to show and tell,” Madison said, grinning and bumping her knuckles together. “Have I asked you for an autograph?”

 

 

“No,” Diane laughed.

 

 

“Good! If I do, don’t give it to me,” the blonde shook her head, wrinkling her nose, “That would _so_ be on the deep end of _blech_ and I need to protect my sanity and reputation. I’m just geeking out now because I can and no one can see me. But if you sign something, _man_ , I just know I wouldn’t be able to help myself!”

 

 

“Okay,” the woman said with another laugh just as a flight attendant stopped next to them, asking if they wanted anything. “Mad?”

 

 

“That is so cool,” the girl said happily, “You called me Mad. That’s awesome.” She looked at the attendant, “Dad’ll flip if I drink anything with sugar,” she made a ‘humph-ing’ noise and asked for water instead, earning a smile from both the attendant and her companion.

 

 

“How about something to eat?” Diane asked, pleasantly amused at the girl’s admirable self-discipline.

 

 

She made a face, “No, thank you…I’m not hungry.”

 

 

“Alright…do you suppose your Dad would like something?” Diane asked, sipping the tea she’d been served.

 

 

Madison smiled, “Dad? Hm…alcohol? Dad likes to pretend he doesn’t drink,” she smiled, “But he drinks whiskey. He doesn’t do it while I’m around.” She frowned, “Wait. That sounds bad. Dad doesn’t drink, you know, a lot, but I know he does _sometimes_ or when he’s out with Uncle Tony. And he probably doesn’t know I know so sending him one will clue him in…”

 

 

Diane grinned, “Sneaky. So, what _do_ we send him?”

 

 

“I get to stay out of trouble then, not that I think I’ll get in trouble for _knowing_ ,” Madison shrugged, “Coke, would be good. He drinks that stuff and won’t touch anything else. I dunno. He stays off Pepsi and others. I’m the same. Pepsi sucks, no offense to the late great Joan Crawford, of course.”

 

 

“ _How_ do you even know who Joan Crawford is? Let alone what she has to do with Pepsi?” Diane asked, surprised.

 

 

“I watch TCM and I like some old movies,” Madison shrugged, “And everyone knows _Mommy Dearest_ but mostly, I like reading about her endless feud with Bette Davis…if those two were alive today, they’d make one awesome reality show.”

 

 

Diane chuckled, “I actually agree with that one.”

 

 

“Dad says I’ve got a confused soul,” Madison said, tilting her head a little, “Some people think I’ve got an old soul, but Dad’s pretty sure I’ve got a confused one. He said it’s because while I love things from the past and know better than kids my age, I’m also a little nutty around the edges and still capable of doing typical kid things. So I vary, he said, with being an old soul and a fresh wild one.”

 

 

“Your _Dad_ said that to you?” Diane asked, surprised.

 

 

“We’re pretty honest,” Madison said simply, “I’m a confused soul.  I like that. I’ve met other kids who’ve got old souls. I’m pretty different, or at least, the upped version of them. So I’m very happy about that.”

 

 

“You’re not big on fitting in, are you?”

 

 

Madison shook her head, “Takes too much effort, don’t you think? Why bother trying to fold yourself into the puzzle when you can just blow out a whole for yourself? You get to decide the space, shape, dimension or whatever you want and give yourself the space you need. And I do so hate being cramped.”

 

 

Diane stared at the girl for a moment, tea sitting on her knee for a moment before smiling at her, “Madison Rose McVeigh…”

 

 

“Cripes, I’m in trouble already?” the girl’s face fell a little.

 

 

“No,” the older blonde shook her head, “Quite the opposite. I _really_ like you.”

 

 

“Oh, cool! Because I really like you too,” the girl grinned happily then sat back, taking a sip of her water and glanced at the window next to her before jumping forward, almost jostling Diane into spilling her drink.

 

 

“What is it?” Diane tried to look past her at the window.

 

 

“Nothing!” Madison said, turning towards her again with another happy smile. “It’s just...”

 

 

“Just…?”

 

 

“A Senator likes me!”

 

 

Diane’s laughter flowed through the cabin melodiously and elicited smiles from her people as well. So Eli Gold stopped trying to burn a whole through the back of her head and decided that maybe the girl wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

 

 

“I am in _so_ full on geek out mode!”

 

 

The Senator needed a laugh.

 

 

***

 

 

It wasn’t too bad, thankfully.

 

 

He’d been seated next to a kid who, surprisingly, was quiet. Age between nine or ten, the little boy with the big glasses sat next to him, reading _Artemis Fowl_ while nibbling on a sandwich. It was refreshing, not to have children yelling around or jumping next to him in planes. It was especially bad during the holidays, for some reason, so he was thankful for this reprieve.

 

 

In their flight to Washington, DC, he had spent it talking to Madison about her grandparents and what she was looking forward to. Her chatter had drowned out the sound of a baby crying and as well as a toddler babbling incessantly. He had somewhat dreaded being seated without his daughter to distract him.

 

 

And that of course, led him back to thinking about his daughter _and_ Diane Lockhart.

 

 

He couldn’t truly imagine it, really. Madison was lively, full of chatter and exuberant for the most part. Given the chance, he was pretty sure she could run a full day talking about anything and everything, like some energizer rabbit that never ran out of juice. She was his light, his sunshine and he adored her.

 

 

The Senator she was seated with, on the other hand, had quite the reputation for being somewhat reserved. Diane Lockhart was by no means cold or distant, but from what Kurt knew, she was also one of those politicians who valued her privacy and was lucky enough to still have people respect it. She was engaging and commanding whenever she was on the news, whenever she was out in public, but he’d also read the write-ups about her, journalists describing how the woman, when not in front of the camera, was someone who liked solitude.

 

 

Kurt imagined the woman enjoyed flying in silence, or at least, not quire surrounded by the chatters of an energetic thirteen-year-old. He tried to imagine it, wondered how they were getting along. He wasn’t too worried about Madison—she had that way about her of _infecting_ people with her disposition. He was wondering more about _how_ the politician was reacting to it.

 

 

He almost grinned.

 

 

“Mr. McVeigh?” he looked up, catching a flight attendant holding a drink with a smile. When he acknowledged her presence and gave her a polite questioning look, she set the drink in front of him, “Compliments of…your daughter.”

 

 

“Oh, thank you,” he said, surprised and grinned when he saw what the drink was.

 

 

“And a message,” she handed him a piece of paper and walked away.

 

 

Quirking an eyebrow, he unfolded the neat white piece of paper and almost laughed as he read, almost hearing the accusations playfully playing out in his ear from his daughter. Yes, she was something.

 

 

_Business class is WAY more fun than you let on, cheater! You’ve been holding out on me, Father Dearest. This merits some sort of inquiry once we get home…Oh, and the Senator is AWE- SOME._

He took out a pen and wrote something underneath the chicken scratch his daughter had the gall to pass off as her handwriting then folded it up. Glancing down the aisle and holding on to the glass of Coke, he stood up, making his way to the other side of the plane where an imposing man stood by the passage that separated them from the area where his daughter was so obviously enjoying.

 

 

Giving the man a neutral look he waved the paper pristine white paper with the logo of the airline was printed at the very top, “Would you mind? For my daughter?”

 

 

The man had only the slightest hesitation before nodding and took the paper from him with a nod. Kurt gave him a nod in thanks and went back to his seat, catching the boy next to him staring.

 

 

“Hi,” he said as kindly as he could and sat back down.

 

 

“Hello,” the boy said simply, glancing at the aisle before giving him a somber look, “I got detention for note passing once.”

 

 

Kurt didn’t even stop himself from grinning, “Me too. But I got away this time.”

 

 

The kid grinned as well, “Cool.”

 

 

***

 

 

Diane looked up from with a frown before glancing at her watch again.

 

 

Where was that girl? She wondered, partially worried though she tried to deny it. They were on a plane, what was there to worry about? They were more than secure.

 

 

But that didn’t change the fact that it had been far too long since the girl had politely informed her that she had to go to the lavatory. That had been quite a while ago and Diane found herself wondering what was keeping the girl.

 

  
She glanced at Coyne who didn’t look bothered and simply nodded at him as she stood up. If he followed her, she might throttle him on sheer annoyance at all. Thankfully, they’d been around each other long enough for him to know when to keep his distance. She didn’t even bother to acknowledge Eli, whose stare she could feel once again on her as she followed to where Madison had headed off too.

 

 

“May I help you, Senator?”

 

 

Diane smiled at the attendant who met her halfway down the aisle, “Yes, I was wondering if you’d seen the girl I was sitting with? A thirteen year old girl?”

 

 

“Oh, yes,” the woman nodded, motioning with her hand towards the stalls in the back, “I saw her go in, but I don’t think I caught her going out.”

 

 

Diane nodded, “Thank you…I’ll just go check on her.”

 

 

She didn’t bother questioning why the tall brunette stewardess followed her as she headed towards the stalls. Diane glanced behind her when she reached the first door and found she didn’t have to voice out her question when the woman simply nodded. She knocked, gently and called out, “Mad? Are you in there?”

 

 

A beat and Diane found herself knocking again, a little louder this time and not bothering to deny she was a little worried now, “Madison?”

 

 

She was almost ready if the woman behind her had a key when she heard the faint click come from the door. Diane didn’t wait and said simply, “I’m going in, alright?” before pushing the door open.

 

 

—only to find the girl on the floor, her head in her hands and her long blonde hair falling all over her shoulders and that was enough to propel Diane into stepping carefully in the compact space  without crowding her and knelt down beside the girl, saying her name once again as she reached for her head.

 

 

Diane didn’t miss the way the girl’s skin seemed to burn under her touch while she tilted her face towards her, finding the girl’s cheeks had gone quite red. The girl blinked at her, practically bleary eyed, and said in a slight croak, “I think I might be sick…”

 

 

“So it seems,” the older woman said, her voice taking on a softer tone, “How…did you get sick in here?”

 

 

“No,” Madison said and the Senator was practically holding her head up as she slumped against the wall of the cubicle, “I thought I was going to but—”

 

 

“Senator, what’s—”

 

 

Madison had stopped speaking and had jerked forward just as Eli joined them, their voices mingling and cutting off at the same time when the girl lurched, her hand rushing to her mouth. With the tight space and Diane sitting so close, Madison collided against her as she leapt for the toilet and missed, heaving her stomach’s contents onto the floor _and_ as well as on the Senator’s dress and legs.

 

 

“Oh, dear god!” Eli exclaimed though managed not to be too loud while the attendant next to him gasped loudly.

 

 

“Get me a blanket, please,” was the only thing Diane said to nobody in particular as she leaned forward and out of the way of the girl as she guided her towards the toilet, holding her hair back. If she was bothered by the mess that had become of her, it didn’t show as she leaned over the girl, one hand curled around her hair while the other began to rhythmically rub her back as she threw up once more.

 

 

“Oh, gross,” Madison grumbled when she pushed off the toilet, scrunching her face with a wince then groaned, “I threw up on you, didn’t I?”

 

 

“It’s alright,” Diane said quietly, placing her hand on the girl’s cheek with a slight frown, allowing only that expression when she was sure the girl’s eyes were still closed.

 

 

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “That’s…disgusting.”

 

 

“It’ll wash off.”

 

 

“I’m sorry,” the girl almost seemed as if she was whimpering.

 

 

“It’s fine, Mad,” Diane shook her head a little. “Are you feeling okay now or…?”

 

 

“I want my dad,” the girl said softly, opening her eyes and the tears—from the retching or the desire to cry, Diane wasn’t sure—were unmistakable.

 

 

She looked over her shoulder, catching Eli and gave him a small nod and he was gone, the silent communication clear enough. He would get the father and make sure he could get him cleared through the area. If anything, Diane trusted him to understand the girl’s desire to have her father with her.

 

 

“Do you feel like you’re getting sick again?” Diane asked, “We’re getting your father now.”

 

 

“I’m okay now,” she mumbled, “I feel like crap…”

 

 

“Don’t say crap,” Diane said, holding back a grin.

 

 

“Oh, god, you sound like my dad…”

 

 

Diane chuckled despite herself, “Yeah, well, roll your eyes at me later.”

 

 

“Will do,” the girl grumbled, “Leave it to Madison to get sick in Business Class _with_ and _on_ a Senator in the same day,” she winced, “God, I _barfed_ on _you_. Ain’t I somethin’?”

 

 

Diane could not help but smile. She liked the girl’s dry humor and if she still managed to joke in the middle of getting sick, then she only hope that meant she wasn’t feeling too bad.

 

 

“Senator?” Diane looked up, finding a couple of towels in the attendant’s hand, “For your, erm, dress. I have the blanket you requested as well.”

 

“Thank you,” Diane said, reaching for the towel first and tried to wipe herself off as much as possible, mopping her legs and did as much as she could for her dress. Managing some decent damage control issues, she reached for the blanket she was handed and made sure it didn’t touch the spot where some of spill had been and pulled the girl closer towards her and made sure she didn’t get any of the mess on Madison. That was by pure luck, she decided, that Madison hadn’t gotten sick on herself.

 

 

She draped the thick blanket on the girl’s slender shoulders only to be surprised by the way Madison gravitated towards her, leaning her head on her shoulder without even opening her eyes and settled. Swallowing a little, Diane allowed her to stay there, reaching for another towel and wiped the girl’s brow and pushed her hair back.

 

 

“You smell like flowers,” the girl mumbled before slumping against her, almost upsetting her balance.

 

 

Diane smiled, “You’re going to be okay, Mad.”

 

 

Behind her, Diane felt someone standing just a little bit closer and looked up without jostling the girl, only to find Kurt McVeigh standing over them with his face full of worry. It was only then she realized she was sitting almost all the way out of the small stall, past the door and into the carpeted floors, a towel draped on her stained lap and _his_ daughter slumped against her shoulder.

 

 

Without a word, he knelt down behind her, reaching past her and felt his daughter’s forehead, only to have her stirring at his touch, “Five more minutes,” she mumbled lazily.

 

 

“She just got sick,” Diane said quietly, almost afraid to rouse the girl as she spoke to him over her shoulder, feeling him close enough to detect the tension that seemed to just emit from him in waves. “She said she wanted to go to the bathroom and she just…I didn’t know she was feeling so ill.”

 

 

Kurt nodded, “Must be a bug.”

 

 

“There’s been one going around Washington,” she said, uncharacteristically quiet again. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mc—”

 

 

“I threw up on her, dad,” the girl suddenly mumbled, “I think that counts as passing _Go,_ collect 200 and a first name basis qualification already.”

 

 

“Sounds about right,” Kurt muttered, “You alright, Mad?”

 

 

“Peachy,” the mumble came.

 

 

“Can you go back to your seat or are you feeling sick again?”

 

 

“Just a little peaky,” Madison mumbled, “But I can sit down…I feel lousy. Tired. Sleepy. My head hurts. A lot of places hurt…why?”

 

 

Diane shared a look with Kurt, “It sounds like it could be the flu…runny nose, Mad?”

 

 

“That too,” Madison sighed, all the while keeping her eyes closed and leaning on the woman who had been a complete stranger only hours prior, “Are you psychic?”

 

 

Kurt shook his head and mumbled what sounded like ‘smartass’ under his breath before touching his daughter’s cheek, “Why don’t we get you back to your seat, Mad? So Diane can…clean up and we can get you buckled in.”

 

 

Diane nodded slightly, “You can sleep the rest of the flight.”

 

 

“Sounds nice,” the girl nodded then began to move, prompting Diane to move with her.

 

 

Carefully, both of them stood up, Madison slower than Diane who made sure she didn’t jostle the girl too much. She held on to the older woman, leaning back only slightly to adjust staying on the taller woman’s shoulder to resting near beneath her chest as she slumped against her.

 

 

Holding on to the girl, Diane felt Kurt’s hand on her as he moved with them, keeping a guiding respectful hand on her lower back the whole way through. She leaned against the wall behind her, Madison seemingly attached and shared a look with him. If he was bothered that his daughter seemed to be gravitating towards a stranger, she couldn’t see it so she didn’t feel too weird about deciding for them in a low voice, “Why don’t we go back to our seat, Mad? You can rest there.”

 

 

“Mmkay,” was all the girl said.

 

 

Moving from out of the alcove nearest to the lavatories, the same attendant met them with a small smile, gesturing towards the vacated seats, “You can occupy these seats, Senator. The passengers have cleared the area for easier access for your daughter.”

 

 

Diane barely noticed the mistake in that particular claim and instead, gave the woman a grateful smile before letting Madison take the nearest seat, the one in the aisle. Not too far away, the passengers who had generously offered their seats kept a respectful distance away and granted them their privacy.

 

 

“Senator?” Eli stood there, silent until then with an aide behind him carrying a change of clothes.

 

 

Diane nodded and she didn’t even think when she knelt down again, next to the girl’s seat and said softly, “I’ll be right back, alright, Mad? Your dad will be right here.”

 

 

“Okay,” the girl barely nodded as she sat back in the seat, tucked into a blanket and curled up a little.

 

 

Diane stood up and turned, catching Kurt again as he moved to take her place. She didn’t miss the way his eyes had softened. It was barely a glance between them as he moved to be with his daughter, replacing her kneeling in the aisle but she didn’t miss the way his eyes looked. Giving that barely a thought with her only intention being getting right back to the ailing girl, she moved towards the lavatory again, her aide trailing after her while Eli stood a few paces back, watching like a hawk as he was prone to do.

 

 

Left behind with his daughter—as much as he could be left behind with another aide of the Senator’s standing not too far as well as Eli _and_ a member of her detail—he placed a warm comforting hand on Madison’s cheek and tried to ignore just how worried the woman, a stranger, had been about his daughter. He’d seen it in her eyes, how worried she was for a girl she’d only met. A part of him liked that while at the same time felt a touch of confusion. He decided not to dwell on that, considering there were more pressing matters.

 

 

Putting Madison in the forefront of their minds, the two individuals found it easier ignore those fleeting thoughts about each other, finding it easier to care for the young girl than entertain what they both considered was really quite _nothing_ between two relative strangers.

 

 

Because that’s what they really were at the moment— _strangers_. They were realistic enough to accept and remember that after this plane ride, they would go about their separate ways. It would be an encounter to remember, at least, for him and Madison but Kurt would also like to think, though he would deny it, that somehow, it would be nice if Diane Lockhart didn’t immediately forget about them that easily. She was a lot more than he could have ever expected her to be.

 

 

That’s what was funny about life, sometimes people come in and out of it for a second only to leave an effect that would last a lifetime.

 

 

And though he wouldn’t say it, Kurt McVeigh already knew that’s what had already happened with Diane Lockhart walking into their lives.

 

 

***

 

 

She was never a fan of airplane comfort rooms.

 

 

But she was glad for them at the moment, seeing as it was her reprieve from what had unfortunately transpired in the stall next to the one she was occupying. Diane could not remember the last time she’d had to hastily clean up in such a small space with barely enough luxury and comfort.

 

 

She mopped herself off and changed, washing off her legs and the parts of her thighs where the vomit had seeped through her dress. She’d been too anxious to be amused by the fact that her aide bagged her stained designer dress _and_ shoes as Diane dressed quickly as she could in a black cashmere dress and another pair of designer shoes.

 

 

A pair of flats would have been better for such a situation, but she knew that had been inescapable and made do since her aides carried outfits for her sometimes when her luggage would be too far away and she knew they packed the heels and dresses just in case she was scheduled for some impromptu changing. She had flats, but they were tucked away into her luggage and that was okay, considering she could run a mile in her high heels and dresses.

 

 

Then realizing she was thinking about fashion while there was a young girl out there who was feeling quite ill, Diane mentally slapped herself for such inanity. What was wrong with her? She wondered. She usually had more sense. A part of her asked what _exactly_ she was doing in general, attaching herself to the girl the way she was doing when she was normally more objective than this. God, she was slipping.

 

 

Glancing at her reflection in the small mirror, Diane scowled at herself a little. She was being idiotic—that was _not_ a good sign. Another mental slap and she straightened her spine, breathing in and out once and calmed herself, reminding herself that she was doing something nice and admitted to herself that she really was quite delighted by the poor girl. She wished she hadn’t gotten so sick so suddenly.

 

 

Deciding she was done, Diane tucked her hair firmly behind her ear before stepping out and if this had been a normal day, she would have worried if she’d been presentable but found she didn’t care. In that moment, all she felt enough to care about was getting back to Madison as quickly as possible, berating herself already for her vanity and taking too long.

 

 

Kurt was still perched on the aisle, sitting next to his daughter with her hand curled around his on the armrest. She could barely contain the smile and then began to wonder if perhaps she should stay away now. Madison had her father, he would take care of her and was definitely more inclined to do a better job. Diane hated to think she would be intruding on that, considering she was a stranger to them.

 

 

Leaning down and touching him on the shoulder, she offered him a smile, “You should take that seat next to her…the floor can’t be more comfortable than the seats.”

 

 

“I’m fine,” he said quietly, “You take the seat.”

 

 

“Madison would like her father, I think,” she said quietly.

 

 

“Sit,” the girl mumbled, uncurling a little in her seat and lifted her feet to give Diane space to pass. She opened her eyes, red and watery then, and tried to smile, “Please?”

 

 

Kurt shook his head then nodded at Diane, “Won’t say more.”

 

 

Diane managed a smile, ignoring the questioning look Eli was sending her way and moved to sit next to the girl. Without hesitation or invitation, Madison simply let her hand uncurl from her father’s and moved the armrest that separated her and the woman.

 

 

She didn’t leave anyone much time to say anything as she curled up, again, this time laying her head on Diane’s lap and mumbled, “Punish my presumptuousness later.”

 

 

“Yeah, after you pay for that dress you ralphed on,” Kurt muttered, grinning a little as he teased her back.

 

 

“That too,” the girl mumbled before letting out a soft sigh and began to breathe deeply.

 

 

After a few moments, Kurt looked up to see Diane staring at him. Adjusting himself and taking a seat on the floor, he gave her an inquiring look, “Yes, Senator?”

 

 

Diane smiled, “Do you talk to each other like that often?”

 

 

“All the time,” he shrugged, “She likes to talk.”

 

 

“She’s a remarkable girl,” she smiled, “Funny girl.”

 

 

“Yeah, she is. Smartass too,” he nodded, “About the dress…”

 

 

She shook her head, “It’s not a problem, believe me.”

 

 

He stared at her before nodding slowly, “Thank you for…taking care of her. And I apologize if I was…uh, short with you. At the airport.”

 

 

Diane chuckled, absentmindedly running her hand over Madison’s head soothingly as she sat back and stared at the ceiling, “I should apologize too, for starting the whole thing…but I won’t.”

 

 

“Yeah?” he smirked.

 

 

“Mhm,” she nodded, glancing at the sleeping girl with a smile before looking at him again, “It enabled me to meet Madison.”

 

 

Kurt opened his mouth to reply, only to have Madison jerk again, bolting up from her position with a wince and covered her mouth with her hand. As if out of nowhere, the attendant was back again, handing Diane a sick bag and she promptly placed it out for Madison who immediately ducked into it.

 

 

She heaved, her eyes burning with unbidden tears as her stomach tried to expel what was no longer there. She had only eaten lunch and that had been hours ago and she had vomited her fair share already in the lavatory. She continued to dry heave, feeling someone, most likely her father as Diane was currently occupied trying to help her, into the empty bag. She spat out nothing but saliva and mucus, groaning miserably before falling against her seat tiredly.

 

 

Diane turned towards the attendant, composing herself enough to hide the worry and silent panic she was feeling just underneath the surface. “We need to get her off the plane—soon.”

 

 

“We’re already beginning the descent,” the attendant informed her dutifully, “It won’t be long if we don’t encounter any issues upon entering…should be about twenty or fifteen minutes.”

 

 

 

“Dad, I—” Madison began to speak, only to stop and began to cough harshly, covering her mouth as her body began to convulse. Kurt rose, rubbing her back in circular motions as he waited for her to ride out her coughing fit. She turned towards her father, eyes glistening with her flushed face, “Dad, this _sucks_.”

 

 

“I know, I know,” he told her, pressing a kiss on her head when it was over, “We’re getting you to a doctor when we get home, alright? We’ll fix it.”

 

 

His eyes met Diane’s and they shared another look before she nodded, turning towards Eli who was once again there, on guard as always, “I want her in a hospital the moment we get back…call James. Closest hospital is Mercy, right?”

 

 

“Danforth,” she said simply, “Liz Danforth is in Mercy, right?”

 

 

Eli nodded, recognizing the name as one of Diane’s friends, “Yes. Elizabeth Danforth is the Chief right now—I can call ahead and—”

 

 

She nodded, “Do that and tell James…” she glanced at Madison who was clinging to her father’s hand, curling up and leaning towards the side of her seat where he was. “Get him the clearance he needs through security, get Justin to do that if that helps. I don’t care how, just do it. Get police escort if you have to—I want him on the tarmac, as close as possible. We leave the moment we arrive.”

 

 

“Of course,” Eli said and went off into another direction before coming right back, “Justin is already taking care of getting James in. We should have no problems—they’re aware you were on this flight.”

 

 

Diane nodded, “And Eli,” she glanced towards the back of the area, catching sight of the people in the back, “The people who gave their seats to us…?”

 

 

He grinned, “I’m having the flight manifesto sent up to Annie already. She’ll take care of it. Fruit baskets for the holidays?”

 

 

“Perfect,” Diane smiled, knowing those people would get them before the holidays. She was glad to have an efficient team for a staff. She turned to Kurt, “Madison’s bag will be taken care of; it’s in the overhead and has her phone and her things. Do you have anything you need to retrieve from your seat?”

 

 

He shook his head, “No. I’ve got everything checked in.”

 

 

Diane nodded, “Alright, good. We’re heading to Mercy Grace. They’re going to take care of Madison. She’s going to be in good hands.”

 

 

“You didn’t have to do this,” he said, grateful and a little awed after seeing her tackle so many things at the same time, taking note of anything and everything that was needed without even dropping a single ball. How she kept track of everything, he wasn’t sure, but it was quite something to witness her in action.

 

 

“I know,” Diane nodded, “I wanted to…I’m not a very good sick person myself and while hospitals aren’t the most cheerful place…well, they help when they can. Render unto Caesar and such.”

 

 

“Sir, Ma’am?” the attendant was back and both of them looked up, “We’re landing in ten minutes.”

 

 

They worked together in fastening Madison’s seat belt with Diane once again letting Madison lean against her and kept her upright. Across the aisle, Kurt sat, watching his daughter and the Senator closely when he felt the landing gear of the plane begin to disengage.

 

 

He didn’t fail to notice the way Madison was clinging to Diane.

 

 

Or the way the Senator seemed so natural, holding his daughter close as if she’d been doing it all their lives.


	3. Baby, it's Cold Outside

 

 

 

 

It was always the waiting that bothered most people.

 

The anxiety, watching strangers passing by, the way time suddenly seemed to slow. Not to mention the uncomfortable chairs. The waiting was always something that made people dislike hospitals even more apart from the medical reasons for being there. It was stress, the gnawing kind that ate at anyone and everyone from the inside out, laced with the crippling fear and stunning hope.

 

And it didn’t matter if it was a cold, a heart attack or a gunshot that brought a loved one in there. Hospitals just had that way of doing things to people so very few other places could.

 

It was no different for someone like Diane Lockhart.

 

She hated the wait, hated how not even the most important connections could get her what she wanted faster. Sure she had someone inside, having had Dr. Elizabeth Danforth waiting right at the entrance of the Emergency dock with her team but they still needed time.

 

Madison had been fine on the ride, apart from complaining about being sick and not wanting to move. She was sensitive to light, flinched when the voices got too loud and clung to her father. It was most likely just a vicious bout of the flu but Diane could not help but worry anyway. Madison had started out meeting her as such a bright girl, to watch her move rapidly from that to someone so sick made her feel just a little bit more vulnerable than she was used to. She was not the kind of woman who liked feeling that way.

 

Diane glanced up from her position on a rather uncomfortable chair, catching sight of Kurt McVeigh pacing lightly a few feet away. She almost smacked herself. Here she was thinking about what this was doing to her, a stranger, what more if she was in Kurt’s shoes? A parent? She could not imagine what he could be thinking about, let alone his fears.

 

They’d been placed in the room they had pre-assigned for Madison and Diane was pretty sure that went along the lines of special treatment, but she was not about to argue. They were in a good hospital, with a _lot_ of room and if Elizabeth was so inclined to provide them their best facilities then Diane wasn’t about to argue. This was for Madison, after all, and she was _not_ about to hold anything back for her.

 

It was almost astounding if Diane thought about it, the lengths she was willing to go for someone she’d just met. It was curious and it would have made her start nagging herself so she put it out of her mind. She was focusing on Madison, of what she could do to help. If there was reason to worry or even slap herself for doing what she was doing for her, she would deal with it later, once everything was over. For now, the bright young girl was the main focus.

 

Diane stood up, ready to speak to Kurt, to at least try and ease his mind if it was at all possible when a knock came to the door. She straightened, catching Kurt as he stopped mid-step and whirled around to face whoever was coming in.

 

“Come in,” she said, glancing at him briefly before allowing entry.

 

She expected the doctor only to find it was her Senior Aide, Annie Clawson, holding a BlackBerry in one hand and an apologetic look on her face, “Senator, it’s Mr. Gardner again…”

 

Diane could not help the muttered curse that escaped her lips, looking at her watch only to realize they’d been in the hospital longer than she had originally thought. She shook her head, running a hand over her hair and wrapped her arm over stomach, blinking slowly before finally telling Annie, “Send him my apologies and tell him something came up. I’ll…well, reschedule and…just tell him I’m sorry.”

 

Her aide nodded, “I’ll tell him.”

 

“Thank you, Annie,” Diane said with a tight smile and watched the door close before looking at her watch again. Time had certainly flown, she thought before shaking her head. She hoped Will Gardner would continue his exercise of patience with her. She knew him well enough to know he would have given up by now had she been anyone else.

 

“You don’t…” behind her, Kurt began to speak and she faced him, catching the almost embarrassed look on his face as he spoke, his hand on one hip and the other on the back of his head. “You know, have to stay. I’ll understand and Madison will—”

 

Diane shook her head, “It’s alright. Actually, I would prefer to stay _here_ …that is, if it’s alright with you.”

 

“I’m not that much of a bastard,” Kurt smiled a little, “After what you did for Mad today—”

 

“It was nothing,” she shrugged, “You would have gotten her here all the same. I just…had the perks to make things go a little faster, but you’d have gotten her here just fine without me.”

 

“Still,” he shrugged, “You didn’t have to, but you did.”

 

“And without using the taxpayer’s money,” she teased a little with a grin.

 

“That too,” he smirked, “But really, Miss Lock—”

 

“Diane,” she pointed out, “And I’m glad to help, actually…Madison is a special girl. You’ve done an amazing job with her.”

 

He glanced at the empty bed in the middle of the room before nodding, “She’s always been like that.”

 

“Well, she had to have gotten it somewhere now, didn’t she?” Diane smiled before motioning for him to take the seat next to the one she had been occupying. “Modesty can only go so far in things such as this, Kurt. Some things are too undeniable.”

 

Kurt nodded as he took his seat after she did the same, folding herself gracefully into a more comfortable position, crossing one leg over the other. He looked at her, tilting his head to the side before saying, “Madison will be happy to see you again…to know you stayed.”

 

“Good,” Diane nodded, smiling as well, “I’d be happy to see her again too.”

 

And she meant every word.

 

 

***

 

 

“Can I help you, sir?”

 

The man lumbered forward and simply grunted as he patted the shoulders of his coat clumsily, “Madison McVeigh.”

 

The nurse at the counter smiled, “We’re going to check if she’s seeing visitors—”

 

She stopped when he pulled out his wallet, flashing a badge at her, “She’ll see me.”

 

“I’m sorry but we’re going to have to check if—”

 

“Excuse me, is there a problem here?” a man in a suit stepped forward, eyeing the large man in a trench coat in a silent assessment.

 

“Yeah, I need to see the little munchkin,” the man flashed his badge in Justin Coyne’s face, “Chicago PD and I’m practically family. Wait. I _am_ family. I’ve babysat that kid and her friends more times than I wanna admit.”

 

“Detective…” Justin looked closer, “Ah, yes, of course…Detective De Luca. Would you happen to be, er, Big Tony?”

 

“Yeah, you got the munchkin in there alright,” the detective said with a shake of his head, “If she wasn’t a girl, I’d whack her upside the head for calling me that. It’s Tony, alright? _Not_ Big Tony.”

 

Coyne nodded, “If you’ll follow me?”

 

De Luca nodded at the nurse who gave him a small smile before falling in step with the man in a suit, “So he wasn’t kidding…Secret Service?”

 

“Yes, sir,” Coyne nodded.

 

“And you’re really here with—” he stopped when the man simply gave him a look, “Well, I’ll be damned. The bastard wasn’t pulling my leg.”

 

“No, he wasn’t,” the tall man simply said as they reached a door with yet another suit waiting just beside it. “This is Detective De Luca. A friend of the McVeighs.”

 

And that was all they needed before De Luca found the door to his goddaughter’s room being opened. He could hear her laughing, though it sounded a little different than usual, hoarse maybe and that was enough to confirm that she had, indeed, fallen ill. He just wondered if she really threw up on a Senator on the plane.

 

The room was large, most likely one of the suites in the hospital and he hoped as hell his friend’s insurance would cover it. The hospital was the closest to the airport, but a hospital was a hospital to De Luca. Still, the place _was_ nice and in the same pastel blue that Madison liked.

 

De Luca walked in alone, having left behind the agents outside and found his friend standing just by the foot of the bed, his back to him and patting his daughter’s foot, from the way it looked in his angle. He caught a glimpse of Madison, catching her sitting up in bed and dressed in a hospital gown. Her nose was red and her cheeks flushed, but her hair was in a loose braid and rested on her left shoulder.

 

Her attention wasn’t on her father though, rather it was on someone he was yet to see, most likely someone sitting against the wall he would need to move further more into the room to see. But he wasn’t an idiot though, since he could guess just who was there. Not that he cared, at least, not really.

 

“Leave my sight for _two_ minutes and you pull something like this,” De Luca said with a smirk as he moved towards the bed, patting Kurt’s back with a thump and eyed the girl on the bed.

 

“BIG TONY!”

 

“Yeah, Munch,” he snorted as he moved around the bed, taking the other unoccupied side and ruffled the girl’s head affectionately, “Heard from your old man ‘bout that stunt you pulled on the plane. Very classy.”

 

“Shut up,” Madison huffed, “I was sick. I _am_ sick,” she waved her wrist at him, sporting a hospital ID bracelet, “See this thing here, you big lug? Says I’m legit.”

 

“Yeah, the color purple,” he muttered, “Ain’t that the color they use for the mental ward ‘round here.”

 

“Really?” Madison’s eyes lit up, sassy even while sporting an impressive fever. “So I’m guessing you’ve got about five of ‘em already, old dog?”

 

“Six, actually, so I got you beat,” De Luca chuckled, laughing with the girl a little before catching sight of the woman on the other side of the bed. “You got company. New friend, Rude?”

 

Madison beamed, turning towards the politician beside her who was obviously trying not to smile too much, “Yes! This is Diane Lockhart. Erm, the Senator. I know you voted for her.”

 

“Did not,” De Luca pretended to growl.

 

“Liar!” Madison grinned at her new friend, “He did and he said it wasn’t just because you had a great pair of—” the rest her words were muffled by his large hand covering her running mouth.

 

“Hey, hey, come on,” Kurt said, stepping in though he was obviously trying not to laugh, “Hands off, Tony. She’s playing sick now.”

 

“Kid doesn’t know what self-preservation is,” he muttered before releasing the girl who proceeded to cackle. His eyes went to the woman again, trying to appear less gruff than his initial appearance though he failed quite miserably at it, “Good evening, Senator Lockhart…nice to meet you.”

 

“It’s a pleasure,” she smiled, reaching across the bed to shake hands with him and he wasn’t surprised by the firm grip he received. “And it’s Diane, please…I’m outside of work at the moment. Formalities are not important.”

 

“See? Told you she was cool,” Madison said proudly, beaming at her own assessment and missing how the woman seemed to shy away from that declaration as she sat back down after De Luca released her hand.

 

“Madison has told me quite a bit about you, sir,” Diane smiled, “She’s heard such interesting stories about the life of a Chicago Police Detective and was generous enough to share…I must say it was rather enlightening.”

 

De Luca looked towards his old friend who merely shrugged as if to tell me he didn’t know exactly what that meant either. So he found himself turning on the man’s offspring, growling, “You. Didn’t.”

 

“The fountain,” Madison said proudly, “Told her about that. It was funny!”

 

“It was a felony!”

 

“But you were kids!”

 

“A felony! And I wasn’t even a cop then too!”

 

“Yeah, you were a thirteen-year-old punk with eggs,” Madison fluttered her eyelashes at him, “But I told her some cop stories too. Like that time you got the Chief’s dog—”

 

De Luca’s eyes flashed towards the genial woman sitting in the corner, laughing silently into her hand before glaring at the patient on the bed, “Why you little—”

 

“Hey! Immunity!” Madison raised her wrist again, “I’m fragile.”

 

“You haven’t been fragile a day in your life, you little nightmare!” De Luca groused. “Blabbermouth.”

 

Madison grinned toothily, “Felon.” Then she jabbed her thumb in Diane’s direction, “Senator. Ladies and gentlemen, what a pair!”

 

De Luca turned towards Kurt who had sat down on the bed, watching the interaction with a grin, “I _told_ you to put a muzzle on that kid!”

 

“She’d chew through it,” the father answered drolly then found his daughter nodding along with a mock serious look, shaking her head like an old woman, “Yeah.”

 

“Are you sure she’s even sick?” De Luca narrowed his eyes at the girl, “I bet she’s faking it.”

 

“Am not!”

 

“Are too,” he indulged her.

 

“I’m pretty sure the vomit was real,” Diane smiled, going along with the playful atmosphere.

 

De Luca grimaced, “Munch germs. Yuck.”

 

“I would be offended,” Madison declared, “But instead—since I like ya, Big Tony—I’ll save my next round of barf just for you.”

 

“Now don’t I feel all special?”

 

The young girl winked, “Ain’t life grand?”

 

As the unlikely group settled into an easy rhythm of throwing zingers and playful conversations, it didn’t take long before they were interrupted yet again by Coyne. There were people at the door, people that hadn’t been mentioned to be coming but the names were enough to get Madison sitting up excitedly, prompting a coughing fit that had all three adults practically springing to their feet.

 

But since Diane Lockhart was closer, she beat both men when she reached for a napkin and a glass of water.

 

“Don’t you go spitting on the lady now, Munch,” De Luca teased lightly though his eyes drifted towards her father, catching the way he was looking at the two and wondered if perhaps there was something he was missing in all this.

 

He wondered if perhaps Kurt had managed to hide a fact about him that involved knowing a Senator but he highly doubted that. Still, the surprising familiarity, and dare he say, comfort that easily flowed between Madison and the public figure was enough to get him feeling the first fringes of worry.

 

Sure he was going to call the kid names and tease her endlessly, but De Luca wasn’t about to stand idly by and watch some strange woman just simply walk in and _bolt_ like that. He knew the kid, knew that while she was generally happy, she was still very much a little girl. And as much as the Senator seemed likable enough, he didn’t like what he was seeing. Not really.

 

Containing the urge to say something—a hard feat—the detective’s trained eyes moved from his friend then back to the woman standing by his pseudo-niece. Their eyes met, briefly and he couldn’t help the calculating look that came upon his face and saw the slightest expression cloud her features before she gave him a soft smile. If she had seen something in his expression, she wasn’t going to make a fuss of it.

 

But he might.

 

 

***

 

 

“You look like crap.”

 

Kurt looked up from the magazine he’d been perusing but really hadn’t been seeing. De Luca was leaning against the wall by the bed, next to the empty chair their visitor had vacated moments prior to take a call. It was nearly ten in the evening and, likely due to the events of the day as well as the previous night, Madison was already asleep. It was a first in a long time, even though the girl thought she was fooling her father into thinking she’d been meeting her ten o’clock bedtime.

 

He shook his head, “Gee, thanks, Tony. Real charmer—Ethel really married up with you, didn’t she?”

 

“Hell yeah,” De Luca rumbled, “But really, you look like crap. Go grab some coffee. I’ll watch the munchkin.”

 

“I’m fine.”

 

“You’re dead on your feet,” the detective said simply, “Go grab some coffee. I know you been wantin’ one. There’s a cafeteria downstairs…hospital crap usually sucks, but maybe they make up the overcharging with some decent coffee.”

 

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Kurt said but he got up anyway, tossing the magazine aside and stood up, stretching with a groan before moving to his daughter’s bedside. “I’ll be back,” he whispered even though she was clearly deeply asleep and placed a kiss on her temple.

 

He looked at De Luca, “I won’t be long.”

 

“Take all the time ya need,” the older man shrugged, “I got nowhere to be.”

 

“Ethy know you’re here?” he asked quietly, wondering how he didn’t think about his friend’s wife who was most likely waiting at home for him.

 

“Mhm,” he rolled his eyes, “She’ll be coming by in the morning for some decent food for you guys. Wanted to come tonight, but I told her to wait a little.”

 

“Call her before she sleeps,” Kurt cautioned, “And tell her we’ll see her tomorrow. And thanks.”

 

“Yeah,” De Luca said before jabbing his thumb at the door, “kid dropped like a rock, Kurt. She’s not gonna wake up looking for you any time soon.”

 

Kurt smirked, “Right. Thanks for the reassurance.”

 

“S’what I do,” the detective said with a thick accent before waving him off again, “Scram.”

 

He was grinning to himself when he pulled the door open, only to be met by a startled squeak and found himself face to face with Diane. She was frozen for a moment before she smiled at him and said, “Excuse me.”

 

And for a moment he wondered just on what level of absurdness it was that he found that simplest series of movements _cute_. She was a grown woman, a beautiful and intimidating woman and the last thing he would ever have thought to describe her was _cute_. But that’s where his mind went anyway.

 

“No, I’m sorry,” he said, “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

 

She gave him a slight shake of her head, “When you get used to the very people assigned to protect you giving you doomsday scenarios…well, being startled by doors seems to be an expected response of some sort.”

 

“Doomsday scenarios?”

 

“They have loads of them,” she said then frowned, “Not that it means I don’t take anything lightly, at least, not with Mr. Coyne, but,” she stopped. “I’m sorry. I’m finding myself not quite being as capable of speaking properly than usual. Wow, even that sentence sounds like a mess. I sound like a bumbling idiot.”

 

He couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him, which only seemed to further the embarrassment she’d been hiding as her cheeks went a little pink.

 

“You’re supposed to reassure me that I don’t sound like a bumbling idiot,” she muttered, stepping back when he stepped out of the room completely, closing it behind him with a soft click.

 

“I wouldn’t dare disagree with a lady,” he pretended to shake his head somberly.

 

She chuckled, “Not even when she calls herself an idiot?”

 

He smirked, “I’m not sure. Don’t think I was listening when they were dictating the rules. Must’ve dosed.”

 

“Oh, well,” she hummed, “I suppose we can’t have everything.”

 

“Suppose not,” he nodded then paused, tilting his head to the side, “Mads is asleep…she’s kinda beat.”

 

“Oh,” Diane said, hiding her disappointment, “Well, that’s good. She had quite a day. She needs her rest.”

 

“She needed it before _this_ started,” he shook his head then looked at her, “I was wondering…” Then he checked his watch, “Never mind. I had no idea what time it was…I’m sure you want to get home now?”

 

Diane opened her mouth then closed it, biting the inside of her cheek before give a slight shake of her head, “Actually, no…I’m not needed at the moment and, well, I think I still have…some time to spare.”

 

Kurt looked at her before nodding, “Oh, alright. Okay then.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, “I was going to grab a cup of coffee downstairs. Would you like to, ah, join me?”

 

Diane smiled broadly, “Sounds like a plan.” She chuckled, “Sure.”

 

They moved together, walking side by side only to find someone stepping in front of them not too far away. Diane stopped, the smile slipping from her face a little when she saw Justin Coyne. She gave in to a small sigh as he said, “Ma’am?”

 

“We were thinking about grabbing a coffee,” Diane said casually, keeping the frost from her voice though she felt it course through her inside. “Together.”

 

Kurt observed the stand-off, wondering if he’d done started something unpleasant. He should have remembered, he thought with a small jab of frustration. He couldn’t _just_ walk off with her, couldn’t think it was that easy, despite the privacy they were being granted in the hospital. She was a public figure who was about to take on a new responsibility in the new administration. She was taking on duties that would further her power, give her and her team more to work on for the coming year. Odds were, the higher her level of power, the higher her security and the more worries were spawned.

 

He mentally smacked himself, for not thinking the impromptu invitation through. He could certainly understand her head of security’s concern. It was hard enough, he was sure, keeping up with the events of the day, where everything had been spontaneous and unplanned, but to let her lollygag around by herself was, as he imagined, definitely out of the question.

 

“It’s one of those scenarios,” he said, interrupting the stand-off and ended up having both intense pair of eyes suddenly focus on them, “That you mentioned, Diane.”

 

“It’s just—”

 

He shook his head lightly, meeting the agent’s eyes, “We’ll stay out of windows and sit somewhere she won't be prone, somewhere low risk. I’ll make sure we won’t stray out of your sight. Or go anywhere other than the cafeteria.”

 

Diane bristled at his side, “We’re just going for coffee.”

 

Kurt nodded, turning to her with a gentle look, “They’re doing what they were hired to do. Someone has to take your security seriously.” He smiled at her, “More than you do.”

 

He could have sworn he heard a slight snort coming from the general direction of the head of security, but he was looking at the woman next to him who seemed to weigh his suggestion seriously. He waited until she nodded tightly with a slight eye roll that almost made him laugh. God, the Senator was any indication, that eye roll Madison was so fond of using was definitely here to stay for a long, long time.

 

“Alright,” he said, catching the nod from Coyne as well, “Shall we?”

 

It was obviously not new to Justin Coyne as he simply took his position behind them as they resumed their intended journey which was behind the Senator while far ahead, he caught sight of another agent standing by the elevators. He was sure the elevators had already been summoned. Beside him, Diane had grown silent though she still walked just as gracefully as she had before they’d been interrupted. He knew she was unhappy and decided she must have been fighting the bonds that were being put on her. He couldn’t blame her though because she struck him as someone who liked her freedom, who hated having constant shadows darkening her way.

 

For Kurt, if there was ever a more uncomfortable elevator ride, he couldn’t remember. He stood there, in the middle of the box with another tall imposing figure standing just behind him. He didn’t even know the man’s name, but he was there, lingering and definitely breathing while beside him, the Senator stood simply, unbothered by the presence. In front of them was Mr. Coyne himself, watching the lights and waiting for their designated floor. All four of them were strangers, waiting for the numbers to stop with nothing in common except they really weren’t too happy with the situation.

 

Unable to help himself and inevitably revealing to Diane Lockhart just where his daughter got her sense of mischief, he found himself nodding soundlessly before speaking loudly and conversationally, “So…how ‘bout those Giants, huh?”

 

He was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one surprised by the sudden melodious laugh that escaped the blonde’s lips just as the numbers in the panel went from six to five.

 

But if someone asked him, he definitely wouldn’t deny he loved hearing that sound coming from her lips.

 

And knowing he’d been the cause of it.

 

 

***

 

 

Somehow, something told her she’d been had.

 

The three men, she was sure, were ganging up on her. But she had no way to prove it. Not that she even wanted to waste time and energy doing so, but she felt it. She also saw the way Kurt McVeigh turned towards Coyne and Lloyd Teller, his second in command, and gave them subtle nods before he left to get them coffee after leaving her on the table they’d chosen.

 

As promised, it was far from any window, in a corner and was close enough to the doors without leaving her prone. She had rolled her eyes at the men around her, preferring to sit out this particular battle, no matter how much she wanted to protest. She really wanted to try and be better when it came to cooperating with Coyne and his team because god knew they were going to be working side by side for a long, long time.

 

Besides, the fact alone that their job requirement included stepping in the path of a bullet should it ever veer her way was enough to remind her of just why it was important she not risk herself or do anything foolish. She needed that reminder, needed it to keep herself from forgetting. She wasn’t ungrateful or thoughtless, she wasn’t about to start behaving that way now.

 

Then again, of course, some circumstances were beyond her control.

 

It started with a shy nurse, a young brunette with an engaging smile and a hand held out of her to shake. By then, Coyne had already taken his position that was close enough just in case while at the same time left him out of hearing range. The nurse was followed by a couple of young residents, surgeons who were happy to let her know they voted for her, that they had great hopes and agreed with the things she’d done and said. She was gracious with them, just as gracious with the few others that followed, eager to have two seconds with her even in a hospital cafeteria at ten-thirty at night.

 

Kurt took his time with the coffee, watching her in the corner of his eye as he went through the motions. She was engaging them, showing them that she didn’t mind being taken by surprise in a place where she hadn’t come in a professional capacity. She was a good politician, more in touch with the public than most of her peers and people easily responded to that.

 

It took a while until the last were gone and they were free to have a moment alone to talk. She took his offering gratefully, cradling the cup in her hands and he took the seat across from her. He watched, curious, as she took an experimental sip and didn’t even hide the wince that came right after tasting the brew.

 

“That good,” he mused, grinning.

 

“It’s a conspiracy,” she said, shaking her head, “I’ve yet to come to a hospital that didn’t have bad food or good coffee. And believe me, I’ve been to a _lot_ of hospitals.”

 

“I would imagine,” he nodded. “Can’t say I disagree.”

 

She smiled, “Maybe it’s just…tradition. Or something.”

 

He smirked when she took another sip anyway and decided they both really needed it and did the same.

 

“How are you?” she asked after a moment, looking at him as her hands continued to curl around her cup, absorbing the heat and taking comfort from that.

 

“Better now,” he admitted, “But if you asked me earlier…that’s another story.”

 

Diane nodded, “I can imagine.”

 

“Have I thanked you for getting her here so fast?” he asked after a beat, folding his arms on the table and leaned forward a little.

 

“Yes, and I already told you…no need,” one shoulder moved in a shrug, “I’d do it again. She’s a wonderful girl.”

 

“Yeah, well, she thinks the same,” he smirked, shaking his head a little, “Of _you_ , I mean. She’s taken a shining to you. Madison doesn’t do so well usually.”

 

“I think the part where I got her into first class had something to do with it,” she chuckled, “That and I have my own Twitter account and actually know how to use it.”

 

He laughed a little, “I’ll just bet.”

 

“Although, actually—”

 

“Senator!”

 

The sudden appearance of Diane’s senior aide startled both of them, almost causing Kurt to knock his cup over while his companion looked over just as Annie Clawson came through the doors. Teller was trailing right her and already speaking into the receiver in his wrist.

 

“Senator, it’s time to leave,” Annie said, practically breathless just as she reached the table. She handed Diane’s coat to her, only to have Kurt intercept it and held it for her instead.

 

“What’s going on?” the Senator asked even as she allowed Kurt to help her into her coat, whirling around to face Annie as soon as she had it on properly.

 

“There’s press outside,” Annie explained, her cheeks flushed. “Mr. Gold is clearing them out front but they’re trying to get in. They know you’re in here.”

 

“How—”

 

“Senator, we have to leave,” Coyne inserted, a hand near his ear as he listened to the information being rattled off to him via his earpiece, “James has the car out the back, near the Emergency bay. We have to go.”

 

Diane turned to Kurt, ready to sputter some form of apology only to have him begin shaking his head at her and let his hand settle on her lower back, “Come on,” was all he said before leading her towards the doors, following Coyne and Annie as they surged forward.

 

Usually she didn’t get this kind of attention, at least, not in a way that would spark a reaction like this from the press. But her duties and ties with the President were transitioning, changing into something more important and everything was being kept quiet over the holidays. Nothing was being said, apart from speculations and the press were hungry to know, to be the first to tell the public what exactly was going on with the Senator. She’d made a lot of friends as of late, to see her advancing in the ranks was enough to make more than a few people curious outside the Beltway.

 

Diane barely had the chance to form a coherent thought, let alone find the words to tell him something—anything—as they walked brusquely down the halls of the hospital. He kept his hold on her, never straying too far and managed not to trip her as he went along. For reasons unknown to her through the haste, Diane felt safe, that somehow, nothing about his touching her felt wrong even though they’d only met hours before.

 

In the midst of it, some part of her wanted to be angry, wanted to feel upset that their time had been cut short. Through the hospital stay, through the waiting, they’d barely spoken with just each other. The first time they arrived, Madison had been the center of their thoughts, when they had her in the room and as well as when De Luca came, they didn’t have much conversation other than putting in a word or two between the chatters.

 

And somehow, that felt wrong to her. She had come for Madison, to make sure she was okay, but now that the time had come for her to leave—why had she even stayed when she wasn’t even a friend, let alone family?—she regretted not having had a chance to get to know the man who was so dutifully participating in what was, essentially, a getaway for her. God, there were days she truly hated being in the public eye.

 

They reached the exit easily, slipping through the double doors in a thankfully quiet Emergency Room. The town car was already there with James Rice waiting by the door.

 

Diane barely had a chance to pause as they stepped out into the cold Chicago winter, stopping just as the car door was opened for her.

 

And there, under what light the hospital could provide under the cover of the night, she managed to look at Kurt McVeigh one last time. She opened her mouth to speak, only to swallow nervously instead before any words could come out. For some reason, her brain had suddenly shut down and not even her Ivy League education and training could help her find the words to say anything. Somehow, through everything, she could only look at the man with whom, for a moment, she had felt less alone.

 

The feelings she had felt in the airport, watching those people, he and his daughter had managed to make her forget for a moment. Somehow, in what little time she had spent in their presence, she forgot the loneliness that had taken hold of her and they had, in a way, made her feel alive in a way she hadn’t quite been in a long time. For Diane, it had been years since she’d felt like she’d belonged to a family and she had, with them, for at least a few hours.

 

Diane heard her detail call her again, using her title once more before she took another look at the man who was standing in front of her. The same man who had somehow gotten a hold of her hand in the cold and she hadn’t even noticed him doing so to begin with. She managed to meet his eyes, though she could not help the soft push of sadness that came with her thoughts as her mind once again tried to find the right words to say.

 

Her hand drifted towards his shoulder, the only safe place she could think about touching without seeming overtly forward or intimate, unsure if she was even permitted when she was really a stranger to the man. Her hand urged to curl, to dig into the fabric of his jacket and hang on but she stopped herself in time. Instead, she said the words that seemed to be the only ones left in her mind, “Thank you.”

 

But in her eyes, he could see she was also sorry. For what? He wasn’t sure, but there was a brush of sadness there that made him want to reach out one more time, if only to see if then emotions were still there. He wasn’t sure he’d imagined seeing her that way.

 

Diane gave him one last look before she allowed herself to be slipped into the car, into the darkness of the vehicle. Her hand hadn’t even had the chance to linger on him as he stepped back just in time to let Annie pass while Coyne took the front passenger seat and commanded the driver to go. Teller waited until the car had sped off and was immediately followed by another town car, as if appearing out of nowhere, and slid in. Kurt only barely managed to catch Eli Gold’s profile inside before the door was slammed shut.

 

The sleek black town cars sped away, leaving Kurt McVeigh standing in the snow, knowing not what to do as he watched them round the corner before disappearing completely from view. He only just had minutes before the doors burst behind him, bringing in five bundled up people through, cameras at the ready and calling for a Senator who wasn’t even there.

 

Kurt didn’t acknowledge them and instead, walked back into the hospital without another word.

 

Chicago was blanketed in the thick winter snow that night, though somehow, inside things felt even colder as he retraced their steps from the Emergency Room up to the elevator banks. The place seemed dimmer now, maybe even _smaller_ without her presence. The place felt the way hospitals always made him feel, the same feeling that had been lacking while he found himself listening to her talk to his daughter, listening to them laugh. That was then when reality crashed over him, when he’d felt the sudden loss of a woman he didn’t even have twenty-four hours with at least.

 

That was when he realized just _how_ unreachable she was, just how remote the chances of them seeing each other again really were. She’d just been spirited away because of her life, because she was who she was and somehow, it was like a sucker punch to the gut. How many times does a forensic specialist and a State Senator cross paths? If not for some bad airline service or his curious meddlesome daughter, he was sure they never even would have even glimpsed each other in this lifetime.

 

She wasn’t someone he was used to being around and her kind of life was definitely _not_ something he was familiar with. It wasn’t even a life he wanted, not the lifestyle at least because as far as he was concerned, it may as well be another world. She was everything that _wasn’t_ ever in his mind.

 

And yet, somehow, he couldn’t find the exact answer as to why despite how wrong and different they were, one irrefutable truth remained: no matter how wrong, how different, Kurt couldn’t think about why exactly he wished he could see her again and spend more time with her.

 

Even when she was everything he didn’t think to ever want.

 

 

***

 

 

The ride through the city was quiet.

 

Annie met Coyne’s eyes through the rearview mirror and couldn’t help the frown she showed him. If not for the slight movement in his eyebrow, she wouldn’t have thought he had responded but that was all she needed to know he understood her unease. She gave him a tight smile even though she knew that was useless but decided it was better than nothing.

 

Then her boss’ phone, the private line, began to vibrate in her pocket. The slight buzz could be audibly heard as it lit up to life and Annie reached in, not at all surprised by the name she found on the screen. She swallowed, wishing she could curse then decided to clear her throat lowly instead.

 

“Senator,” she began, tentative as she looked at the woman next to her who seemed to be lost watching the city as it passed them by, “It’s Mr. Gold.”

 

Not a movement, not a flinch and the older woman didn’t make a move to accept the proffered piece of technology as it continued to buzz and Annie didn’t need the words to be spelled out to her then. She nodded, once again not surprised the silent refusal and instead, answered the phone for her.

 

“Mr. Gold?” Annie began, “The Senator is not available to speak at the moment…yes, yes, we’re headed back to the house. Of course. I’ll tell her, sir.”

 

By the time she hung up, Diane Lockhart was already looking at her and Annie couldn’t help but be struck by what she saw on the woman’s face. Never had she seen her so open when she’d always been so good at guarding her emotions and the way she reacted to things. She was so disciplined, so in control and for Annie to see her _this_ bare, it almost felt like a violation.

 

She had never seen her look so sad and a part of Annie felt that somehow, it was _just_ because her visit in the hospital had been cut short. It was more than that, she imagined, because there were things that even Annie wasn’t privy to but was quite aware of. She’d been with Diane too long not to at least have picked up a few things, both professionally and personally.

 

“Mr. Gold wanted to speak with you,” she said without being asked. “He’ll be waiting at the house and—”

 

“No,” Diane said, quietly, “I’d like to go to the other house, please.”

 

Annie’s mouth dropped open slightly, “What? The other…well, it’s clean and maintained right now, but I don’t think I can guarantee there will be food or-or anything there at the moment.”

 

The house they were heading off to originally was the one in the city, the house that had been in the Senator’s family for generations and was her permanent residence. Her home had been prepared already for her return, complete with holiday decorations, food and all necessities required.

 

“Mrs. Wheedon is still around?” Diane asked.

 

“Yes, but—”

 

“That’s fine,” she said, “I still have my things there and you can leave my luggage there as well.”

 

Annie nodded, “Yes, Senator.”

 

Her eyes met Coyne’s again and this time, it was his turn to give her a look except that one was more of his frustration showing. Apart from the Lockhart house being prepared for the holidays, the precautions and security measures had already been taken into account as well. Annie was sure Coyne had regular checks done on the other house, but she knew he would prefer the prepared home already.

 

“We’ll send a team ahead,” Coyne said, conceding for once and decided it was late enough into the night for another discussion about security. The house was safe and was considerably smaller and was located in a more low-key section of the city.

 

Annie turned to Diane again, only to find her attention was once again elsewhere, far enough for her to guess correctly it was anywhere but concerned with the people in the car or within the car itself.

 

The driver took a turn and changed the route, pertinent to their new destination and even though it was nearing eleven-thirty at night, there were still a few souls scattered around the city. People went about their lives, living the night through and some, walking with friends.

 

Like the city lights, Chicago was indeed still very much awake and alive. For Senator Lockhart, gazing out the heavily tinted windows and watching the people they passed, she’d never felt more detached from what she saw that night than anything else in her life.

 

And it only made the silence around her seem louder and the night just a little bit colder.


	4. Awake and Waking

“And she was _so_ nice, like, totally normal, you know?”

 

De Luca met his best friend’s eyes from across the bed, rolling them exaggeratedly before nodding his head towards the teenager on the bed. Currently, his wife Ethel was sitting on the side of the bed, listening to Madison tell her all about the Senator that had her so enthralled. Kurt merely smiled, returning to his book while his best friend’s wife humored his daughter and fed her a good home cooked meal at the same time. He had witnessed beforehand how charmed Madison had been by Diane Lockhart, having had her asking him about the woman the moment she had woken.

 

He hadn’t lied to her though due to their ‘no lying’ policy and had explained to her exactly what had taken place the night before. Kurt had expected her to be disappointed or at least for a bad reaction, but she had merely smiled and sighed, grinning wildly as she made him recount _exactly_ what happened before the woman had been spirited away. He played it off as plain as he could, but even then she been deeply immersed in the whole of it, commenting how it felt like a movie or some story she’d only encounter in books.

 

They hadn’t mentioned about the possibility that Diane might return and Madison didn’t inquire. Instead, they spent the early morning talking and had managed to speak to Dr. Elizabeth Danforth herself, declaring Madison cleared and allowed to check out at any time of the day. De Luca and Ethel had come mid-morning, bring along comfort food from their home.

 

“She sounds like a wonderful lady,” Ethel smiled as Madison finished her soup, politely thanking her when she took the tray away. “I’m sure you charmed her just as much.”

 

“Yeah, because barfing is always adorable,” De Luca teased, only to receive a light smack on the shoulder from his smiling wife.

 

“Oh, don’t listen to him, sugar,” Ethel winked at Madison, “He’s just jealous ‘cause you got to get to know the Senator. Why, he’s smitten with her. Just won’t show it.”

 

“Am not,” he declared, “I am a _happily_ married man to the most wonderful wife in the world.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Ethel shook her head, “Don’t you lie to me, _Antonio_. I know you better. But it’s alright. We’re allowed to have our own little crushes.”

 

Madison laughed, “Ooh…Big Tony’s got a crush.”

 

“Wait,” De Luca looked at, catching the wicked grin on his wife’s face, “What exactly do you mean _our own little crushes_? Ethel Grace, are you telling _me_ , your husband of 23 years, that _you_ have a crush?”

 

“There’s Mr. Clooney, Mr. Pitt and good ol’ Mr. McGraw—and I _mean_ Tim, not Phil,” Ethel replied in the thick Southern accent that she could easily slip back into at any moment. She was a daughter of the South, through and through, right from the effortless grace in every move she made, her home cooked meals and her ability to rile her husband up two ways to Sunday.

 

That and she could curse like a real Southern lady too and Madison loved it every time that side of Ethel came out. She knew a lot about keeping her husband on the ground.

 

“How am I only hearing about this now?” the Italian feigned indignation, “Ethel Grace Flagg, how dare you?”

 

“You spend the night drooling over some attractive leggy _blonde_ politician and you expect _me_ to sit back and not say a thing, mister big man? Why, boy, have you forgotten who you married to?”

 

Ethel Grace De Luca stood tall, hand on one cocked hip, a perfectly shaped eyebrow arched, lips red on her pale white skin and perfectly coiffed hair in place. The lady was very well there with her accent and high heeled shoe ready to kick her husband’s ass in front of their family and one particular teen was on the edge of her seat with a wicked grin on her face and suppressing the urge to squeal. They were her favorite couple because she’d never quite seen Big ol’ tough guy Tony fold like a house of cards on a windy day when confronted by his wife.

 

The man had already been shot twice on separate occasions and that still didn’t make him fear guns, mutilation, disfigurement or death any more than his wife did. The man was _whipped_. And it was fun to watch because even underneath it all, it was clear they were a couple still very much in love.

 

“No, ma’am,” was all De Luca could say, sitting back on his seat and winked at his wife.

 

Ethel merely shook her head before turning to Madison, “See, darlin’? Easy as pie. You find a big strong man who knows how to treat a lady and you’ll be just fine.”

 

“Ah, hell, Ethy, why you gotta bring up the girl finding a man in front of her dad?”

 

The beautiful brunette turned to Kurt who had been sitting silently through the exchange. Scenes like the ones the De Lucas just had were not uncommon among them and Kurt was used to it. What else could anyone expect when the couple involved one traditional Italian son and a daughter of the Deep South? It was madness half the time with just the right amount of love to prevent a murder-suicide from taking place.

 

“Oh, Kurt, hun,” she laughed a little, “Don’t you worry about your girl. She’s still and will always be your baby. And she knows it.” She smirked, “Besides, she doesn’t even like boys. According to her they’re—”

 

“Disgusting,” Madison chimed in, “At least the ones I’ve met. And she’s right dad, don’t worry.”

 

“Yeah, sure,” Kurt shook his head, smiling though he wasn’t about to deny _his_ little girl’s life had flashed before his eyes at the mere mention of her and men. Good god, he was _not_ going to survive the very day she asks—or gets caught—about no longer finding boys disgusting.

 

Ethel smiled, turning towards Madison again, “Now, you little miss, what would you like next? I’ve got some cupcakes my dear husband tried to steal _three times_ this morning.”

 

“Just for that, I will most definitely have some, please,” Madison said primly, smirking at De Luca who gave her a scowl. There was a reason why he kept up with his gym schedule and spent the occasional weekend playing tennis with her and her father. Ethel was too much a good cook _not_ to eat what she gave you.

 

“That’s my girl,” Ethel smiled before returning to the table where she had set the feast she had made for the McVeighs down. “Now, why don’t you tell me more about this lady Senator. I sure like the sound of her. Saw her on CNN a few days ago…spitfire, I say.”

 

“She’s awesome, ‘nuff said,” Madison declared.

 

“Are you sure she was even sick in the first place?” De Luca asked Kurt, “She’s fine now.”

 

“Dr. Danforth thinks it may have been a bug of some sort,” Kurt shrugged, “But she’s fine now, ‘cept for a slight cough but as long as she’s eating, that’s fine.”

 

“And just so you two old dudes now, my hearing is _impeccable_ ,” Madison shook her head, pretending to be disappointed. “It’s criminal what aging does to people.”

 

Ethel chuckled, “Amen to that.”

 

“Hey!” both men chorused at the same time.

 

Then a sound interrupted the teasing around the room and Madison jumped, grabbing her phone from where she had tucked it beside her.

 

“Someone’s got a new phone,” Ethel smiled at Kurt who merely shook his head, mouthing _grandparents_ at her.

 

“Oh, wow,” the girl suddenly said, “Dad, seriously, you will not believe this!”

 

“What?” Kurt looked up, quite used to the _omg_ -fueled outburst his daughter was highly capable of whenever it was a cellphone she was confronting, “What’s going on?”

 

“Mandy just sent me a text,” Madison began, “She’s stuck in school getting the gym ready for the pageant and she said she thought I was totally kidding about last night—”

 

“Mads, I don’t think we’re supposed to tell people about—”

 

“Just Mandy, I swear, and I can _totally_ trust her,” she insisted, “More than Becca and it’s not as if I could tell Grace 'cause, _you know_ , but that is NOT the point! Mandy thought I was totally kidding about the whole thing _but_ she read it on someone’s blog about _us_ yesterday!”

 

“What?” De Luca stood up, his eyes meeting Kurt’s.

 

“It’s on someone’s blog, you get it?” Madison didn’t stop to get a confirmation, “Anyway, someone spotted the Senator at the airport and someone must have said something _because_ they totally knew about her and the whole thing about the seats! Oh, my god!”

 

“Were your names mentioned or—”

 

“No,” Madison shook her head, “Mandy said someone just wrote about how nice the Senator was and stuff. People are saying good things about her. _But_ seriously! How _cool_ is this? I mean, sure it’s just Mandy, but this is _so_ cool!”

 

Ethel noticed the look on her husband’s face and moved next to Madison again, patting her father on the shoulder lightly to let him know it was safe to go. She was going to take the role of amusing the teen while her husband got whatever was in his head out and talk to Kurt about it. She knew just how protective her man was when it came to the girl and her father. They were family, after all.

 

“Did anyone from the press see you last night?” De Luca asked, curious while at the same time serious without being alarming.

 

Kurt shook his head, “No. She was gone before they could even see she was there.”

 

“But that Eli guy was with her,” De Luca said, remembering too well the feared political animal of Chicago before he’d become a fixture in the Senator’s team.

 

“Yeah, he kept them back but he left with her,” Kurt answered, “You think this is going to be a problem?”

 

“Don’t know,” De Luca shook his head, “But she’s been cleared. We should probably leave. I’m sure there are people who’ll be glad to tell them all about what they saw last night.” He frowned, “May seem like nothing to us, but you never know. The press and the media these days? Animals.”

 

Kurt nodded, “We’ll head back home then.”

 

“Yeah,” his friend nodded, “You still heading out for Christmas?”

 

“Two days before,” Kurt confirmed, “The morning after her slumber party.”

 

“Good, better,” De Luca replied. “Ethy and I will come up mornin’ after we see her parents. Now, you stay here and listen to your girl gush more about that new lady friend of yours—”

 

“For the last time, Tony, she’s not—”

 

The detective smirked, “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I know. Just a thing. Whatever you say, alright? I’ll go and get the discharge thing done so we can get the heck outta here.”

 

Kurt gave his friend a light punch on the shoulder as he passed him, turning to his daughter again as she spoke excitedly with Ethel. Their eyes met and she beamed at him, smiling just a little brighter than normal and inside, he couldn’t help but miss the reason behind that smile

 

And wonder what she could be doing now.

 

***

 

 

Diane Lockhart groaned loudly as she chucked her phone across the bed.

 

She had lost count the number of times Eli Gold’s name flashed across the screen of her phone and wondered just how red his face was that moment. She hadn’t seen him the night before after telling Coyne to tell his driver to take him back home instead of letting him follow her. They had gotten home late and they all needed rest just as much as they did not need another session that involved discussing her security _again_ with the political strategist.

 

In fact, she hadn’t even allowed Annie or Coyne to let Eli know she was _not_ going to be staying in her old family home for the holidays. They had discussed that too, the pros and cons on which house to stay in and decided together. She just hadn’t counted on changing her mind so suddenly. She was lucky Coyne had allowed for the change, knowing the transferring of his team and changing their original plans was an inconvenience they did not appreciate.

 

She sat back against the headboard of the bed she hadn’t occupied in almost eight years and looked around the room she had stayed away from for the last two years. The room looked the same and if the coldness only she could feel hadn’t been there, she would easily assume someone had been occupying it while she was gone. As if someone had tried not to let the room die or come to nothing. That wasn’t the case though. She just knew that her housekeeper kept the place clean and livable, making sure it would be ready for any visit that may come unexpected.

 

Diane never thought she would ever do such a thing, especially these days, and yet she had. Somehow, she hadn’t quite decided how she felt about the choice she made without even truly thinking about it. She wasn’t even sure if she wasn’t beginning to regret it yet though that did not mean she was about to tell her staff she was going _back_ to her original decision because she was pretty sure by then Justin Coyne might just snap and shoot her himself. And damn it, she knew the man was a hell of a marksman.

 

At this point, she had made the decision and she wasn’t up to aggravating the people around her. They had a tough year and they weren’t going to pretend the coming one was going to be any less challenging. She wasn’t going to let their admittedly short and sporadic holiday season go into ruins just because she had personal things to deal with by herself.

 

No matter how many years had gone by, no matter how she _okay_ she was feeling now and had accepted everything, it did not mean she couldn’t feel sad now and again. And December always hit her the hardest, no matter how much she tried not to let it. She was human and during this time of the year, she let herself feel that because the following new set of eleven would be out of the question. It was essential in the effort to hold on to her sanity.

 

Diane glanced at the clock, surprised to find out it was almost ten in the morning. It had been a long time since she’s found herself still in bed before eight at the latest. Her days tended to start at the crack of dawn or before, depending on her schedule or how she had slept the night before. For once, she had nothing to do for a whole day. Tomorrow, her schedules would come back with a vengeance and it was not going to be no less light despite the approach of Christmas.

 

Though to be honest, she had no idea what to do. She had held off Annie, telling her to come at ten and Coyne and his team would have started their shift at seven and relieved the previous one, most likely in the first floor of the brownstone she was occupying, checking and rechecking with his team or whatever it is he did while not following her around.

 

The housekeeper, Mrs. Heather Wheedon, would most likely be doing housework. She had come in earlier, leaving a tray for Diane as she slept though she hadn’t touched it yet. It was her usual breakfast, or was, at least, when it had been another time. Without looking at the prepared tray, she was sure there was going to be a pot of coffee at the ready, in a beautiful china pot, covered by a tea cozy.

 

It made her stomach turn, not just the food but the mere reminder of what used to be.

 

Even the caffeine fiend in her wasn’t enough to have her reaching for the pot.

 

Diane pulled her legs up to her chest, hunching a little as she curled up, stretching the worn material of an old sweater she had found in her closet. It was the lightest shade of dusty rose, one of the oldest things she had in her closet and it had been loved, once upon a time.

 

It was also one of the things she had reluctantly left behind when things began to change rapidly around her, before her life revolved more around Washington than Chicago.

 

The house was equipped to be kept in a set temperature and yet, despite the controlled atmosphere, Diane was cold and it led to pulling out a pair of yoga pants and thick socks. She spent the night bundled up although the kind of cold she was feeling wasn’t due to being ill or even the weather. Diane just felt cold.

 

And a part of her knew that being in the house might have something to do with that.

 

She shook her head just as her phone began to chirp back into life, fighting the urge to grab it and just hurtle it across the room right at the wall. She restrained herself and instead pulled the covers back up, curling up underneath the thick duvet.

 

Diane pulled the covers up well and over her head, resting her head on her pillow and closed her eyes.

 

And without meaning to as she kicked her legs and straightened them, she sent her phone flying off the bed and onto the carpeted floors, falling just next to where her slippers lay. The call cut off, removing Eli Gold’s name from the screen and was instead replaced with the information of just how many calls she had missed since that morning began.

 

Sighing with relief to be granted the silence she sought once again, Diane closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift back to sleep.

 

On her bedside table was her tablet, untouched after she had received a text from Annie that morning, informing her of what she had found. The screen had been left with the blog _Carlton’s World_ on display, relaying with glee just what the owner of the domain witnessed and found out the day before while waiting for his flight to Chicago.

 

Nice things had been written but even that wasn’t enough to make the Senator that had been the main topic of the entry happy.

 

Diane Lockhart slept on, unable to help resenting the world for all it was that morning. A part of her was at least relieved only her name as well as Eli’s had been in that entry and fiercely she hoped it would stay that way. It wasn’t shaping up to be a good day and she didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know what Eli was calling her so persistently. Normally she would pick up but at that moment, she didn’t care because all she wanted to do was sleep.

 

It seemed the preferable choice than dealing with what else could be coming.

 

***

 

“What do you mean she’s not there?”

 

Eli paced back in forth in the office in his home, dressed down in a cashmere gray sweater and slacks. His daughter was in the living room, happily wiping the floor with him at archery in Wii after he had banned dancing from their options. He had snuck off after having his fourteenth phone call was once again left unanswered and he had finally tracked down Annie who seemed a little hesitant to let him know of the change of plans from last night.

 

“What the _hell_ is she doing in that house?” Eli growled, “We had a _plan_ , for Christ sake, what happened? And why the hell wasn’t I told?”

 

He paused, listening to the other end. It seemed Annie didn’t know any more than he did and he was also now just finding out she had been banned from reporting until ten. Coyne had checked in that morning and had proceeded into their usual practice of giving him a situation report, letting him know everything was well and good, but had seemed to forget about informing him about one crucial detail. Annie took care of that too, telling him that even Coyne must have been warned off severely enough to have him backing down.

 

Eli shook his head, clutching his phone tightly in his hand, “What exactly—I _know_ you already told me, tell me again. Something must have happened.” He glared at the wall, stopping in the middle of his carpet he’d been in the process of burning a hole through. “She knows about the blog? Yeah, go and talk to your contacts. I want to know what else anyone might have.”

 

He shook his head, remaining stoic as Annie gave him the rundown of what happened the night before, who she might talk to and as well as the next day’s schedule. Today was supposed to be for them to rest, but Annie had told him about _Carlton’s World_ as well. That goddamned blog, he thought, not even knowing who was behind it. He was just waiting now for someone to pick it up—they weren’t exactly traveling incognito the night before and if the press at the hospital had been anything to go by, this was bound to get picked up.

 

Not that it was a scandal, but it was still news. In the middle of preparing for the project they were setting up with the President of the United States at that and Eli couldn’t let anything go wrong, not at this stage.

 

“You know what? Screw this,” he ran his hand through his hair, “I’m going—no, Annie, _no_. I’m going there. Today. We’re going to sort this out. I don’t know what happened last night, but we _cannot_ afford anything to go wrong. I’ll see her later. She can yell at me all she wants, but we’re dealing with this.” He checked his watch, calculating the time he had left with his daughter before she set out to meet her friends. “Don’t you dare warn her, do you hear me? I’ll wait all day there if I have to.”

 

He hung up, tossing his phone on his desk before returning to his chair and grabbed the files spread out in front of him. As of the moment, he was unsure of what to do with what he had, of what he knew, but he was going to have to decide soon. He knew the press, knew they’d been waiting for something like this to happen with Diane, especially when she had declared officially that she was running for Senate.

 

Eli had done a good job so far, making sure nothing was leaked and she managed to have some semblance of a life. They’d yet to have a scandal or even a serious link with her with any man and god knew people had been waiting for something to come out. After all, she was attractive and successful, liked by the people and all she needed was a suitable match.

 

Not that there had been any remarkable number of men with the Senate being her main focus and before that, it the campaign, before that, being Governor—politics may not have been her first love, but it has sure been her life and while Eli was glad, as her Chief of Staff, for a while, as her friend, he had wondered if she ever was thinking about seriously pursuing a romantic relationship but she never quite did. A date here and there, maybe someone she would invite to functions with her, but no one was ever asked to stay long enough for anything remarkable to develop.

 

There was an Ambassador, but he spent more time overseas than stateside and a part of Eli honestly thinks that’s one of the main reasons why he was one of the very few Diane ever allowed to come back because staying, for him, wasn’t a solid option. He came and went, allowing her the out she needed so she would not have to commit when it wasn’t a possibility to begin with.

 

And now, she was back at the house and Eli was ready to storm the place and ask her as well as the people around her, what the hell they were thinking. It was one thing to keep the place, it was quite another to be there _and_ spend the holidays there too.

 

The house would be just a house if it was, but it wasn’t. In fact, it was far from that because that was where Diane Lockhart spent a treasured part of her life being Mrs. Stephen Hastings.

 

Diane had met her husband during law school and they’d fallen in love and married right after graduating. They had no children and that was okay because both had been caught in their thriving careers and they were willing to let whatever happen, happen, knowing pressuring each other on the matter could possibly do more harm than good. They were fine, either way.

 

Stephen had fully supported Diane when she began to seriously consider running for public office, following her father’s legacy. He had been there for her when it began and the plans started becoming realer and realer. He hadn’t complained and stayed beside her, offering the support and encouragement she needed, pulling her back down to earth whenever it was required. He knew her better than she knew herself and always seemed to know what she needed when as if he could read her mind. They were devoted solely to each other, deeply in love to the end.

 

Having Stephen was what Diane needed in her life and together, they were happy and content. They gave each other love and security and Diane had been thankful for every day they shared.

 

And that was why it took her a long time to recover after losing him so suddenly to a reckless driver one tragic Wednesday morning. He had been on his way to work and they had shared a hasty breakfast and hurried I-love-yous before they parted. He’d barely been halfway through his journey when his black Mercedes Benz was suddenly rammed out of nowhere and sent his car screeching towards a guardrail. The accident had left devastating results, pushing the steering wheel into his chest and crushed his heart and ribs, causing it to pierce his lung.

 

Stephen Hastings was dead before help could arrive and he left behind a wife who wouldn’t be informed until two hours after he was gone.

 

Eli may not have been through what Diane had, but he could understand her private struggle. He hoped to never have to go through that, actually, because even though he had divorced his wife, she was still the mother of his daughter he still had some affection left for her. And should he ever find someone else someday, he still hoped not to have to go through that. It was too hard and Eli didn’t quite know how to even just imagine making it through.

 

Diane had made it though and for a long time now, he’s seen that she’s been fine, okay even.

 

But going back to that house, the house she had shared with Stephen, was a definite sign that she was _not_ okay and Eli was not sitting back and waiting for something else to happen. He didn’t expect her to fall apart, that wasn’t her, but at the same time, Eli did not know _what_ to expect. He was pretty sure she hadn’t been in that house in almost a year.

 

Thinking back, Eli mentally smacked himself, deciding he should have seen something like the house-switch she pulled happening. She had done well compartmentalizing the night before while waiting on word about Madison McVeigh. He knew, should have known, there would be some sort of reaction, no matter how subtle or not. She was human and the holidays always hit her the hardest, the one time in the year she let herself mourn her loss.

 

It may have been nearly a decade since Stephen died, but it didn’t make the loss any less painful. The shock was gone, but the pain would be there and it would always be. Someday it might dull but it’ll never be truly gone, that much Eli understood.

 

Picking up a folder and flipping it open, he eyed the document in front of him. They were couriered early that morning after pulling some choice favors. These were the lives of Kurt and Madison McVeigh, father and daughter, both natives of Chicago. These were the files that could not be scoured through phone calls or government databases.

 

Eli read the information for the third time that day, wondering what to do with it. On one hand, he didn’t think they were going to need it. On the other, he wasn’t entirely too sure of that. A part of him was glad there wasn’t too much on the two, at least not enough to make him imagine doomsday scenarios that could topple his candidate, but the other wasn’t too sure if he could let yesterday’s events have a chance of a repeat.

 

He couldn’t force Diane—she was especially stubborn during the holidays as well—or hold her back from seeing them again, but Eli had not been informed of a change in plans. She was going to stay home today and rest, two words she hated but severely needed.

 

And Eli was not going to presume he would know how she was going to react to the things that had happened the last twenty-four hours. She was already in a dark mood, the decision to go back to her old home and as well as the way she had connected with Madison, was enough to make Eli think twice about not considering that she might do things a little differently than she normally would.

 

Police officers might hate Halloween the worst because those were the craziest times of the year, for Eli—who is Jewish, by the way, and had Hanukkah—Christmas was his Halloween and it was when things got different enough to drive him nearly mad. A part of him was sure this year was going to be the strangest yet.

 

Shaking his head, Eli grabbed the files on the father and daughter, pushing them into his drawer and locked it inside. Marissa was hooting and hollering outside, declaring her victory. He needed to spend time with her, having spent most of the month in Washington already. He missed his little hell raiser and he wasn’t about to let her savor that victory too long. Eli was going to soak up as much time with his only child as he could before his ex-wife came by to take her out to lunch.

 

He would deal with Diane and everything else later. In the meantime, he had some arrows and targets to line up. After that, he was seriously considering checking out just how well Marissa’s fencing classes were going. It had displeased him greatly to have been informed by his much too gleeful ex about their daughter and a certain cute assistant from the class. If she did badly, he was going to transfer her and annihilate either the boy or the class itself.

 

Eli smiled, pleased with himself and not at all concerned about his ‘monster-dad’ tendencies.

 

Marissa would punish him, for sure, but it would be well worth it.

 

***

 

“I was thinking _Dolce & Gabbana _for tomorrow—”

 

“What’s happening tomorrow?”

 

Annie looked up, surprised. Diane usually had that eerily unnerving way of staying on top of things, of remembering schedules and dates, which made Annie’s and as well as the other aides’ jobs easier, but that morning, Diane didn’t seem eager to practice that particular talent as she poured them a cup of coffee each. She’d never seen her boss spacey, not even during the most exhausting campaign days, to have her _not_ remembering what tomorrow had was surprising.

 

They were in the kitchen together after Diane had insisted Mrs. Wheedon take the day off. The old woman had protested though eventually gave in, kissing the Senator on the cheek before heading off, chuckling on her way out and declaring she would be seeing some friends, leaving Annie and her boss to fend for themselves. Not that there was much to be done, considering she had already prepared lunch.

 

“The party at the Florrick family’s home at Highland Park,” Annie supplied, “Mrs. Florrick herself called to confirm? She said you owe her margaritas.”

 

Diane smiled a little, “Please tell Alicia I’ll be bringing a bottle then.”

 

Annie nodded, “I’ve got the _Dolce_ slated for it.”

 

“It’s not an official event,” Diane looked up as she brought the coffee onto the island they were occupying, “I’d rather not be thoroughly decked out. Alicia wouldn’t have held the party at Highland Park if it was going to be tagged along with her husband’s office. No, this one is private.”

 

At first it had been disconcerting for her, to actually _need_ someone to plan her wardrobe out for her but she’d _almost_ gotten used to it. It was one thing to have someone do her makeup professionally, needing someone to pick out her clothes had given her a considerable reason to balk in the beginning.

 

“Okay,” Annie nodded, “How about the charity luncheon for the Shelter for Battered Women & Children? I think the suit is understated enough.”

 

“With the blue coat,” Diane murmured, adding cream and sugar to her coffee before handing them off to Annie. “And the day after? Tickets to the ballet for DePaul’s Feed the Homeless Project? How’s that doing, by the way?”

 

“Very well,” Annie answered, “They’re set to start to open their first shelter the day after the ballet. They’ve been getting generous donations and I’ve already sent out your pledge…as well as Mr. Gold’s and the money the staff pooled together.”

 

Diane smiled, not at all surprised by the gesture. The people on her team weren’t strangers to poverty and tried as often as they could to help out when it was possible. She’d often heard them discussing business while collecting money for a joint check they would send where it was most needed. It wasn’t about tax deduction, for them, it was their way of helping out.

 

“Oh! And Mrs. Florrick also said she’s penciled you in for the…er, Christmas Tree Hunt in three days,” Annie grinned, “She’s taking Zach and Grace too.”

 

“Is that the one were the city gives out trees and ornaments for families?”

 

“That one,” Annie nodded, “Some schools are participating this year with kids who volunteered for the event and they have Santa Claus visiting, along with the presents from the North Pole…and by North Pole, I mean the toy drive Mrs. Florrick orchestrated.”

 

Diane smiled, “Tell her I’ll be there then. I’ll talk to Eli about bringing Marissa as well if she’s willing to tag along.”

 

“I’m sure she will be,” Annie smiled, knowing Marissa liked hanging out with Diane while making her father seethe in a corner. The fifteen-going-on-sixteen-year-old girl was a mischievous character and Diane liked torturing Eli with her whenever possible, “Alright then.”

 

Diane checked her watch, biting her bottom lip before finally deciding. She grabbed her cup and stood up, pausing before turning to Annie, “Would you mind telling Mr. Coyne I’ve decided to go out?”

 

Annie hid her surprise, “Sure, would you prefer to eat lunch outside or—”

 

“No, no,” Diane shook her head, “I mean…I’m _not_ going out to eat. I’d like to head to the hospital, actually”

 

“Oh,” Annie couldn’t hide her smile, “Of course. I’ll tell them.”

 

Diane smiled, thanking her before leaving the kitchen and headed back up to her room to change while Annie sat back, grinning to herself. She shook her head, unable to help the slight giggles that came over her before calling the agent that was just in the other room. She informed him of the change in plans and didn’t have to wait too long to have Coyne come in and discuss with her what exactly was about to happen.

 

The agent barely even shrugged then, seemingly unsurprised and Annie could not help but grin even more. Either the Senator was unaware that she was being incredibly—albeit unusually—transparent or she didn’t care. Annie was pretty sure it was the former and while she was quite surprised of the development, it was a nice one. She thought the day already shot for sure by the blog they’d stumbled across.

 

Dialing the number of the hospital, Annie checked for Madison McVeigh to confirm if she was still there. They were and Annie didn’t bother leaving her name, preferring for the visit to not be spread around the hospital and have a repeat of the previous night. She sighed then, quite unhappy about the night before—she was pretty sure she had interrupted something in that cafeteria.

 

It didn’t take long before Diane was ready, dressed in a black turtleneck, black slacks tucked into matching winter boots. She had her tote and a tan coat draped over one arm and allowed her hair to stay in its natural state, lying softly just off her shoulder. Annie smiled, thinking that for the average Joe who didn’t bother with the news or paid it much attention, Diane could probably pass as any other citizen.

 

Pair it with sunglasses and Annie was sure Diane could walk into the hospital fairly unnoticed—well, maybe save for the detail that followed her wherever she went. That was the kibosh in that forming thought in her mind. Annie then decided that sometimes it must really suck to be her boss.

 

“Well? Too much?” Diane asked as Annie gathered her things.

 

“Perfect,” the younger woman smiled, “Justin has the car ready and James is driving us again. After last night, he’s pretty sure he’s got game now.”

 

Diane chuckled, shaking her head as they headed outside where Coyne was already waiting. She gave him a pleasant smile as he greeted her good morning and returned it.

 

“I’d like to make a stop first,” she told him, stopping by the door, “And maybe talk about this visit?”

 

Coyne nodded, “Of course, ma’am.”

 

Diane nodded, slipping in and Annie followed close behind. The young woman gave the agent a grin, waggling her eyebrows playfully at him before showing him her gloved hand, palm up. He hesitated, his jaw twitching slightly before he surreptitiously lifted his hand and placed a twenty dollar bill on hers.

 

“Pleasure doing business, sir,” the woman said with an impish grin before slipping into the vehicle.

 

Annie had bet him that Diane wouldn’t be able to stay away from the hospital for long. Coyne, having spoken with the housekeeper before her arrival, had thought the Senator would have preferred to stay in bed, seeing as she had failed to make an appearance earlier in the morning as she was accustomed to. He had bet twenty, so sure of himself, that she would be staying indoors for the day and stay away from the McVeigh girl.

 

Coyne shook his head, pretending he hadn’t just done something unprofessional by betting about his boss but Annie had done a good job roping him into it. He had already paid up James his ten and now he was short thirty dollars. He would best learn now never to bet with the Senior Aide of the Senator’s staff.

 

The girl knew her boss too damned well.


	5. Strike Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a long time, but I haven't forgotten about this one. Or the other ten million stories I'm working on.

“I thought the point was to blend in?”

 

“The coffee cup helps, Senator.”

 

“I certainly hope you’re not mistaken about that,” the blonde muttered as they entered the lobby of the hospital, for once walking side by side rather than having the man a step behind her. She held her coffee cup casually, appearing to be just another visitor in the hospital, but inside, she was waiting for _something_ to happen, holding her breath without actually meaning to. “But only god knows how you’ll continue to do so if you keep addressing me that manner.”

 

“Of course, I apologize…ma’am.”

 

She gave him a brief look before shaking her head slightly, “We’ll work on that some other time.”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” he barely managed to keep his face neutral as she gave him an accusing look, no doubt thinking he’d done that one on purpose. He had, not that he would ever admit it.

 

They walked through the large first floor of the hospital and she didn’t breathe until they cleared the lobby, stepping into the thankfully empty elevator before pressing for the number of the floor herself. Beside her, Justin Coyne stood with the cup he had used as his cover and defense. He had hesitated to take it from her earlier as she’d stepped out of the car, but she had explained to him he simply had to hold it and pretend to be just like any other person. The cup wasn’t for him, but it would certainly help her little foray into the hospital.

 

Diane Lockhart had dressed down that day, picking something more casual than what she usually. She had hoped it would work, going as far as using minimal makeup and leaving her hair natural. It was decidedly _less_ anchorwoman-worthy, which was a relief for once, considering she didn’t have her staff breathing down her neck about how she should appear in photos.

 

There were no cameras that day, at least she didn’t intend for there to be any. She wanted a quiet visit, something just for herself and the girl she hoped would be happy to see her come back. Diane certainly didn’t want to disrupt their lives, didn’t want to suck them into _her_ world where she knew she could just as easily hurt them and that was the last thing she would ever want to do.

 

She just wanted to see how Madison was doing really, wish her luck and say goodbye after not being able to the night before. She had enjoyed getting to know the girl, of having someone around so natural, so innocent and _real_. Diane wanted to at least let her know that she had enjoyed every moment she had spent with the girl, barf and all.

 

_Barf_ , Diane smiled to herself, it was definitely not a word she was accustomed to using but she could hear the girl speak it in her head. She was fond of her, that much was clear—she was quite amusing. Thinking about the night before, Diane had been caught in her thoughts, and failed to notice the look she was getting from her companion. Coyne was sure he’d never seen the Senator look like that before.

 

“Almost there, ma’am,” Coyne said after a moment, dark eyes tracking the woman as she straightened up, shifting the cup in her hand and holding on to the small package in her hand just a little bit tighter.

 

The coffee, Diane decided, was normal. It was the little package in her other hand that was making her just a little nervous. Was it normal? She wanted to give the girl something and wasn’t it customary to give little presents to patients. That was alright, wasn’t it? To wish her well?

 

Diane has been on uneven ground too many times in her lifetime, but as far as she could tell, nothing as small as the package in her hand had ever set off her insecurities so quickly before. That’s what she was, wasn’t she? She was insecure.

 

She wanted Madison to like her, to at least remember her fondly years down the road. Diane didn’t know why, but she did. The girl was special and Diane didn’t always have that many opportunities to be around someone like her often and she wanted to give Madison some sort of remembrance. There was nothing weird, nothing sinister, nothing suspicious about that. Just another person caring for someone else because she _did_ care about Madison, even though she’d only spent a brief time with her.

 

Reaching the floor, the elevator doors opened and Diane almost collided with another person. She gasped, moving her coffee away just in time to avoid dousing herself and the other crash victim.

 

“Oh! Pardon me! I wasn’t watching my—” the flustered woman stopped rattling out her apology and Diane looked up, ready to apologize herself when she saw the look on the woman’s face and said simply, “Oh, hello.”

 

Diane managed a ready smile, “Hi…I’m sorry about that. It was my fault, I think, I was preoccupied and—”

 

“No, no, no,” the woman chuckled warmly, “That was all me, honey and I’m sorry. Good move though—I don’t have problems removing stain from dresses, but I’m pretty sure my husband’s eyes will bug out if I tell him he has to dry clean a designer outfit that doesn’t belong in my closet.”

 

“It’s nothing,” Diane muttered, moving aside the so she was no longer blocking the doors to the elevator, “Here you go.”

 

“Oh, no, honey, uh-uh,” the woman laughed, “I’m not getting on that thing now.”

 

Coyne looked at the woman, curious but he remained silent, standing wordlessly beside the Senator who was quickly becoming flustered herself. Her plan _had_ been full proof, was she blowing it now because she was busy daydreaming.

 

“Actually,  you came _just_ in time,” the woman smiled, “My husband and I were having a little…er, tiff about something and _you_ are just the person to help me further my win.”

 

“Oh, I’m sorry, but actually I’m on my way to visit—”

 

“I know, I know,” the woman placed a hand on her forearm gently, “Come along, I’m sure Mads will be _thrilled_ to see you...er, how would you like me to address you? I’m sure you would prefer a more low-key thing right now…well, I’m guessing because you’re trying to look like you wanna blend in with that get up.”

 

Diane let out a breath, “Oh! Are you—?”

 

“Am I…?” the woman must have realized what she was thinking, “Oh, lordy no, no. You met my husband last night—my Tony? I’m Ethel, his wife.”

 

She couldn’t help her eyes lighting up, “You are? Yes, your husband and I met last night. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

 

“You too…?” Ethel trailed off uncertainly.

 

“Diane,” she said, “ _Please_ …?”

 

“Alright then, _Diane_ ,” she said with a wink.

 

“I’d shake hands, but…” she held up a small giftwrapped package somewhat meekly.

 

“Oh, honey, don’t worry about that. After last night, I’d let you get away with anything!”

 

The woman standing in front of her was a good few inches shorter, but her personality made her seem much taller than that. She was beautiful and basing on her accent as well as her features, Diane could easily point out she was Southern. She’d met enough people to find the distinctions and Ethel hit all the markers easy. She was gracious, beautiful and open and Diane welcomed that.

 

“Well, alright then,” Ethel grinned, “Come on and follow me. I believe there’s a girl in there who hasn’t shut up about you all morning. It’s driving my husband nutters and boy, can you tell how much I’m loving that?”

 

The Senator laughed, perfectly happy to meet someone who was so at ease around her. That was hard to find and clearly, Ethel De Luca knew just exactly how to treat people right. She liked her already.

 

“Now, don’t you worry about those nosey rats following you in here,” Ethel said casually as they walked side by side, “You _know_ what I’m talking about but that girl and her daddy are family and we’re good at keeping each other safe, secrets included.”

 

“I can’t say I’m not glad,” Diane admitted, glad to know Madison and her father had people in their lives who cared so much for them, “I hope I haven’t come at a bad time?”

 

“No, on the contrary, you came just in time,” Ethel smiled, waving a perfectly manicured hand, “They’ve cleared her to be discharged and we’d all love nothing more than to take Mads home. She’ll be so glad to see you dropped by!”

 

Diane smiled, “Oh, so she’s okay then? Nothing serious?”

 

Ethel shook her head, “Thank goodness no. She’s fine…just a bug. She’s been eating and having a ball running circles around Tony so we all know she’s on a quick mend.”

 

“That’s good,” Diane said.

 

“And that’s actually thanks to you,” the other woman pointed out, “I meant what I said I’d let you get away with anything…I heard what you did so, thank you. Madison does not get sick often but when she does, oh lordy, you watch out.”

 

“It was nothing, believe me.”

 

“A lie, but I like you so I’ll let that go too,” Ethel winked again just as they reached the door. She turned to see Coyne stopping by the door, “Oh, how rude! I didn’t see you there…though god knows why. My, you’re big.”

 

Diane couldn’t help but laugh, “Ethel, this is Justin Coyne. He’s—”

 

“Kevin Costner, I get it,” Ethel nodded, looking him over, “Well, a younger and cuter one, I suppose.”

 

“Right,” the Senator laughed again, enjoying the dark shadow that passed over Coyne’s features.

 

“He is delicious!” Ethel laughed, “But alright then. I get what Madison was saying about this being _cool_.” She turned to Diane, “She’s yet to enter the ‘everything sucks’ stage of her teenage years so things can still rank cool around her these days.”

 

“She’s an exceptional girl,” Diane observed, “I’m sure the rest of her teenage years won’t be so bad.”

 

“From your lips to god’s ears,” Ethel sighed, “I’ve held you back long enough. Come on right in, Diane. Just let me tell you how wonderful it truly is to meet you? I can’t imagine having a conversation like this after Madison sees you.”

 

“We can always make time,” Diane smiled.

 

“I think I’ll hold you to that,” Ethel gave her another warm smile before opening the door.

 

***

 

The door opening easily got everyone’s attention.

 

“Back so soon, Ethy?” De Luca called with a smirk, “Did I marry superwoman or what?”

 

“Go ahead and keep making a fool of yourself, hubby,” Ethel called back, “We’ve got company.”

 

The three occupants looked up and it was the teen on the bed who first picked up on just who the new visitor was, “Oh, my god! You came back!”

 

Kurt looked up and found out that, indeed, Diane Lockhart had come back, this time dressed casually in black. He noted the color but didn’t think too much on it as he stood up from beside his daughter’s bed, a small tentative if not nervous smile on his face while De Luca gaped a little.

 

“I quite literally bumped into your friend, Mads,” Ethel said simply, walking further into the room with Diane in tow. “Had a nice chat too.”

 

“Uh-oh,” Tony piped up.

 

“Darling, put a sock in it,” Ethel chirped with mock sweetness, causing Madison and Diane to laugh a little.

 

“Yes, ma’am,” the husband called out obediently with just the same amount of teasing. He eyed the coffee in Diane’s hand, “Yo on the joe.”

 

Justin Coyne, who up until then had been blending in the background, gave the cup to Kurt without another word before exiting the room. The Senator managed to give him a thankful smile before turning to the detective with an apologetic and somewhat embarrassed grin.

 

“I’m sorry,” Diane began, biting the inside of her cheek, “I didn’t know you were going to be—”

 

“Ignore that, he was just trying to be funny and boy, was it _bad_ ,” Madison said, then turned to the old detective and smacked the side of her face, “Dude, that one _sucked_.”

 

“Hey! It rhymed!”

 

“Since when do _you_ say ‘yo’?” the girl laughed, “And _dude_ , really? You just said _yo_ to a Senator?”

 

“It fit!”

 

“Did not!”

 

“Did too!”

 

“Did not!”

 

“Okay!” Ethel clapped her hands, “And _that_ is our cue to grab our _own_ cup of joe, my darling cheesy husband.”

 

“Et tu, Ethel?”

 

“Now he’s gone Shakespeare,” Madison crowed, “Seriously, Big Tony, pick a century already.”

 

“You little—”

 

“Come on,” Ethel grabbed her husband’s arm, “Diane, it was lovely to meet you! We’ll let you visit Mads here for a bit, alright? While I remind my husband he’s Italian, not Shakespeare and definitely _not_ one of those gangsters he always complained about while he was still running the beat.”

 

“Nice to see you again, ma’am,” Tony managed to grin at Diane who returned it with just as much amusement.

 

“Say bye-bye,” Ethel said and eventually managed to successfully cart off her husband, leaving the three others in the room laughing to themselves.

 

“Are they always like that?” Diane asked Madison who nodded eagerly.

 

“Sometimes worst when it’s a special occasion like…4th of July or, you know, their anniversary. But they’re loads of fun, aren’t they?”

 

“Yes, they are,” she smiled then turned to Kurt, “Oh…and I don’t know if you’ve had coffee already but—”

 

“He hasn’t,” Madison spoke up, taking the words out of her father’s mouth, “Aunt Ethy was just about to get him a cup but she doesn’t have to anymore, right?”

 

“No,” Diane smiled, unable to help the warmth that pinked her cheeks. She damned herself for going with light makeup then, knowing it must have been visible and she so hated to blush because _women_ do not blush. Girls maybe but grown women certainly did not.

 

“And looky,” Madison sing-songed, “It’s from Dad’s coffee place.”

 

“Everyone loves Starbucks,” Kurt muttered at his daughter before walking towards Diane, “May I take your, er, coat?”

 

“Oh, yes, thank you.”

 

Madison smiled proudly as her father took the cups from her hands, noting how she’s never seen him quite so shy. Her Dad did _not_ do shy, as far as she thought she knew, but here she was, proven wrong and boy, was it fun to watch. She’d always known her Dad was a gentleman so she could guess his actions precisely. She watched amused as the Senator—no, _Diane_ —allowed him to help her out of her coat.

 

“You can put that here, Dad,” Madison suggested, pointing at the foot of her bed. “Just call me your personal coat check for the morning.”

 

Kurt followed and Diane thanked her, reaching for the cups again and handed one to him after he was done.

 

He took it with a thoughtful smile, “Thanks.”

 

“I owed you,” she shrugged, “After last night…I’m sorry about that.”

 

He shook his head, “Wasn’t your fault.”

 

“Debatable,” she rolled her eyes slightly.

 

“It wasn’t,” he said again, meeting her eyes and said quietly, “But I’m glad you’re here.”

 

“Me too,” she practically whispered.

 

“I hear it’s rude to keep secrets from sick people.”

 

Both adults looked up, catching sight of the patient with a smirk on her face. They looked at each other, laughing before nodding simultaneously as if coming to the same conclusion. Madison motioned for them to sit, waving to the chairs on either side of her. “Sit, sit, sit! I’m ready to get out of here, but I really am glad to see you again.”

 

“I’m glad to see you again too,” Diane followed then proceeded to hand her the gift she’d been carrying, “And I brought you something.”

 

Madison beamed, looking at her father before saying, “You didn’t have to.”

 

The gift was placed inside a beautiful dusty rose colored box with a silver satin ribbon. Diane handed it to her anyway, smiling as the girl took it carefully with wide eyes. She had expected her to tear through it or, at least, start shaking it but instead, the girl simply stared.

 

“It’s so pretty,” Madison smiled crookedly, “But you really didn’t have to, I’m just so happy you came back.”

 

Diane smiled, glancing at Kurt who was watching his daughter, “It’s nothing big, just something I thought you’d like.”

 

“What’s in it?” Madison asked, “Can I open it now or do I have to put it under the tree?”

 

“It’s yours so it’s up to you,” she winked and didn’t mention her surprise as she had expected the girl to tear through the gift to see what was inside. “It’s not much, but I thought you might like it.”

 

“Oh, my god!” the girl exclaimed, beaming happily, “Dad, look!”

 

Madison pulled out a book from the package, wide-eyed and a little slack jawed she turned towards Diane, “But how did…how did you get this? This isn’t coming out until next year!”

 

“I’m friends with the author,” she shrugged, “I told him about you and, well, he was kind enough to share.”

 

“Oh, my god, it’s signed! It’s signed!” Madison turned her father, “Daddy, he signed it! He knows my name!”

 

“I can see that,” he smiled, “What do you say?”

 

“You,” Madison reached for Diane, “Are _amazing._ I mean, seriously, out of this world! Thank you so, so much!”

 

She barely gave the woman a chance to reply when as soon as she was within range, Madison had managed to grab onto her hand and pull. Despite her bout of illness and deceptive size, she was surprisingly strong and she was easily able to get the tall woman to her level and hugged her tightly. Diane stumbled, but managed to catch herself, hesitating only briefly before returning the hug with just as much affection.

 

“Thank you, thank you!” Madison said exuberantly as she let go, “I don’t even care I’m losing it.”

 

Diane chuckled, managing to compose herself just so, “I’m so glad you like it so much. I wasn’t sure—”

 

“Are you kidding? The last installment was published six months ago. I don’t have much time to read but I read his books. He’s one of the best writers _ever._ ”

 

“I’d have to agree,” she smiled, “It’s one of the reasons why I was eager to meet him—I was a fan before we were introduced some years ago. He’s also a great man.”

 

“I’d bet,” Madison grinned, “Even dad reads his stuff.”

 

“Hey, as long as it’s not about anarchy or kids getting killed or god knows what, I’m good,” Kurt shrugged, “But I won’t deny that I do like some of his books.”

 

“Ignore him,” Madison smirked, “Thank you for coming…I mean, the present was great, but I’m glad you came back. I was too zonked to stay up last night.”

 

Diane smiled, “You needed rest so I won’t hold that against you.”

 

The young girl smiled, “Well, gee, thanks then, Senator.”

 

“You really like saying that word, don’t you?”

 

“What? Senator?”

 

The older woman gave her a knowing look.

 

“You gotta admit, it’s pretty cool.”

 

“It really isn’t,” Diane shrugged.

 

“Well, I think it’s cool,” Madison wagged her eyebrows, “I’m sure it kinda sucks to you—”

 

Kurt resisted the urge to cover his face, “Mad…”

 

While at the same time Diane managed an honest, “Sometimes.”

 

“See?” the girl gave her father a look, “She admits to sometimes.”

 

“This is my fault, you know?” Kurt turned to Diane, “I taught her how to walk and talk, what I wouldn’t give to see her diapered butt wobbling around and drooling while she babbled.”

 

“Oh, god, thanks for the image, _dad_ ,” the embarrassed girl muttered then gave Diane a look, “Can’t you make parents embarrassing their kids illegal or something?”

 

“I’ll see what I can do when we get back in session next time,” Diane grinned.

 

“Add something that says parents will be hung by their toes if they break the law or something.”

 

“Well, I don’t know about that, but I’ll try.”

 

Kurt pretended to scowl, “Gee, thanks,  Mads, you just turned a Senator against your own father.”

 

“I’m so cool, right?”

 

“Nah, you’re kinda mean.”

 

“You gotta get to know me.”

 

“Oh, I do and I have, that’s why I know you’re mean.”

 

Madison turned to Diane again, “Honest to god right now, who’s being mean to who?”

 

“I think I’ll stay out of this one,” she smirked, “I think the neutral zone is safer at this point.”

 

“Is this being wimpy? Because that’s not really at all dignified.”

 

“Madison!” her father admonished while the woman he feared his daughter offended simply laughed. He stopped and instead, turned to Diane, catching the slight tinge of pink on her cheeks caused by her mirth. He smiled a little, unable to help himself finding her incredibly soft and attractive in that moment.

 

“I could start a war, I think,” Madison said, not missing the way her father was looking at her new friend and decided she didn’t mind, “If I ever become like you or, you know, a diplomat.”

 

Diane chuckled, “I think you could.”

 

Madison nodded, “I could. But really, I have more self-control. I love this country and therefore, I won’t.”

 

“Are you rethinking some life choices now?” Diane asked, “Think politics might interest you?”

 

The girl looked at her father, catching him just as he rolled his eyes, “Oh, yeah, that’ll be something.” She snorted, “I’ll be one of the few Democrats he’ll ever have voted for.”

 

“What makes you think I’ll be voting for you?”

 

“Now, see why I’m such a smartass?” Madison turned to Diane.

 

“Madison, language!”

 

“Did I mention that’s my ringtone for him?”

 

The Senator was slowly getting used to the pace of the two, but could not help but laugh more. They were a pretty good team, very much like a good comedic duo and she liked that Madison was so quick and witty while being so young. She often forgot the girl’s age.

 

“And he did, you know,” Madison smiled at Diane, “Vote for you, I mean.”

 

“Well, thank you,” she smiled at him before turning to his daughter, “Your father is a Republican, but you’re saying if you run, you’ll be a Democrat?”

 

“I like donkeys,” the girl said, completely deadpan then giggled after a beat, “I’m kidding. I’m kidding. But yep, I am a Democrat and not just so I can screw with my dad.”

 

“Don’t say screw, Madison,” her father said automatically, earning an eye-roll from the girl.

 

“It’s so easy for them, isn’t it? Parents,” the girl grumbled, “But yeah, Dad and I come down differently on a lot of things.”

 

“I can imagine,” Diane smiled, “But as long as you agree to disagree—”

 

There was a gentle knock on the door and all three turned just as it opened and Annie peeked her head in, “Senator? Mr. Gardner is on the phone. He said you forgot to call him back.”

 

“Right,” Diane said, flinching a little, “It completely slipped my mind…I,” she turned to Madison, “Would you excuse me for a moment? I’m afraid missing another from this person…well, suffice to say, I’m going to be in trouble.”

 

Both McVeighs allowed it and didn’t seem to mind, watching as she stood and followed Annie out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Madison was on her phone, tap-tapping away like the pro she had become handling her new gadget.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Looking.”

 

“For what?”

 

“Hm, stuff,” she shrugged.

 

“Madison Rose McVeigh.”

 

“Just Googling, dad,” she rolled her eyes slightly, “Just to see if I can find a Mr. Gardner online—”

 

“Madison!”

 

“Hey, I’m curious!”

 

“That is none of your business, young lady, put that phone down.”

 

“Oh, come on, dad, I’m just looking,” she grinned at him, “Besides, if he’s competition, we gotta see how you can kick his butt.”

 

“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”

 

“I saw you looking at her, dad,” the girl said, completely serious though her tone remained light, “She’s pretty and she’s the only Democrat you voted for. That’s big already. Besides, she’s really nice and I like her.”

 

“You only met her.”

 

“Yeah, and I already really like her, what does that tell you?”

 

“Trouble.”

 

She laughed, “I love you too, dad.”

 

***

 

“Will? Yes, it’s me.”

 

“I’m sorry I missed your calls,” Diane leaned back against the wall, phone pressed to her ear, “No, I got in last night…actually, I’m at the other house…yes, that one…tonight? I don’t know…I can’t promise but—”

 

Annie watched from the corner of her eye, her boss obviously not entirely immersed in the conversation.

 

“No, not family,” Diane replied then paused, the reality of the situation hitting her just then.

 

She wasn’t family, nor was she even a long enough friend to be hanging around like this. She had no reason to stay, at least, not really. She had already spoken with Dr. Danforth who had personally updated her on Madison’s condition. She was free to go home and should, in fact, have been allowed to leave earlier in the morning. But she knew this was Liz’s way of something currying out a favor for her, giving the McVeighs a kind of leeway not most patients were granted. Diane suspected correctly that was because they’d come in with her. But everything was good now, Madison had been cleared and was ready to go home. In fact, hadn’t Ethel De Luca told her they were on their way out?

 

Feeling suddenly out of place, Diane felt that she was somehow intruding on the family. She had no business there and she was now uncomfortable with the possibility she might be keeping them from going back home where Madison would be more comfortable.

 

“Oh, Will? Yes, I’m still here. I’m sorry. You know what?” she said, straightening up and trying hard to wash away the feeling of remorse that suddenly engulfed her, not for basically ignoring the man on the other line, but for her thoughtlessness with regards to the father and daughter in the room she stood just outside of, “How about tonight? Annie will make the reservation…same place, same time? Great. I’ll see you then.”

 

She hung up and turned to Annie who simply nodded and took her own phone out and reluctantly made the reservations she needed. She spotted Coyne in the corner and summoned him and told him about the schedule for tonight. He would confer with her team and they’d take care of the rest and as she made her way back inside, the two shared a look, which she missed.

 

Once the door was closed, Annie turned to their constant companion, “What do you think?”

 

“What?”

 

“Mr. Gardner tonight?”

 

He shrugged, “Won’t be the first time.”

 

“But what about…well, this,” she motioned towards the door.

 

The agent straightened up, “I’d prefer not to discuss the Senator’s personal life.”

 

“What a cop out!” Annie accused.

 

Justin Coyne shrugged. He hadn’t been around the Senator for long yet and wouldn’t presume to know what made the woman’s mind tick. He got his orders and he would carry them out—what she did, as long as she didn’t get herself killed, was none of his business.

 

Annie, on the other hand, couldn’t share those views, “Something’s changed.”

 

Coyne looked at the closed door and decided while he might prefer not to make assumptions, found himself agreeing anyway, “Yeah.”

 

Then he left, returning to his post and leaving the young aide to think about her boss’ decisions in peace.

 

***

 

“Yeah, I’m coming back to school tomorrow! You’ll tell me, you promise?”

 

Diane smiled, not missing the eagerness in the girl’s voice as she spoke on the phone. Beside her, her father sat reading a book, the coffee she’d bought him in hand and seemingly unaffected by the chatter. It was seemed so natural, devoid of any pretension that told her somehow, this scene was not any way out of the ordinary for the two.

 

And like the feelings Will Gardner’s phone call had stirred only moments prior, she couldn’t help but feel she was barging in on something she had no right doing so. She covered the negative feelings with a smile though, all too experienced at putting on such masks. The game of politics had a few simple rules and one of them was definitely _never_ let ‘em see you sweat.

 

“Hey, hold on, Mandy, I gotta go…no, that’s not it. Ew! I’ll call you later, ‘kay? Bye!”

 

Madison gave her a wide smile, “You in trouble yet?”

 

“Nope,” she smiled, taking the seat she had vacated, “Missing school today?”

 

“Mhm,” she nodded, “Not that I mind…but stuff happened while I was in DC. Nothing big but it’s pretty interesting…just school stuff. Hey, dad’s playing hookey too.”

 

Diane gave him a look, “Really?”

 

“Court,” he mumbled, “Doing it later in the afternoon.”

 

She nodded, “Of course.”

 

“The law waits for no man,” Madison piped in then cringed, “Man, that sucked. I think I’m coming down with a case of Big Tony.”

 

Diane chuckled, “We’re allowed to blow a joke now and then.”

 

“A senator just said blow,” the girl snorted, “That’s one for the books.”

 

Just then, the door opened once again, this time bringing back the De Luca couple who seemed caught up in their conversation.

 

“And I’m saying you’re being an idiot,” Ethel said, slapping her husband on the arm slightly before catching Diane’s eye. “Oh! Hello! Excuse my husband. He’s being, well—”

 

“An idiot?”

 

“Madison!” Kurt said at the same time as Ethel’s cheery, “Exactly!”

 

“What did you do this time, Big Tony?”

 

“Flatten a kid who called me Big Tony.”

 

Ethel rolled her eyes, leaving her husband and went to Kurt’s side of his daughter’s bed, dropping a kiss on Madison’s head and began to fluff her pillows. It was so natural, so maternal that Diane felt the oddest stirrings in her yet again only this time it was different. She had to look away and concentrate on the woman’s husband to avoid looking at Ethel with the young girl.

 

She silently damned that proverbial biological clock all women seemed to be equipped with. She wasn’t maternal, or at least, didn’t consider herself as one. She’d always been a career-woman, the kind that was more used to dealing with the hustle and bustle of the fast-paced career lifestyle than its Susie-homemaker counterpart. Sure she and Stephen had considered having children at some point, but it had not been priority one then. She liked kids alright and she imagined had it happened for them, she would have accepted her role as a mother as much she would any career, but since that never happened, she didn’t contemplate on it much.

 

But seeing Ethel move so easily with Madison made her feel something inside though. Maybe it was wistfulness for what could have been. Maybe she was feeling sentimental—the holidays had a knack for doing that to her, she decided once more—or maybe it was just the odd feeling of being out of place again. She really was a stranger to these people and it was contrasted even more now by the animated way Madison interacted with her Big Tony, Ethel’s natural way with her and Kurt’s booming laugh at what his best friend just said.

 

These people were family and somehow, the more Diane hung around them, the more it all seemed to chip at her walls. And she didn’t like it. Did she really just meet them all less than 24 hours ago? It felt longer. And while she enjoyed being around them and they seemed to effortlessly welcome her into their little group, she couldn’t help but feel even more of an intruder now. She felt they were genuinely welcoming her but then, maybe that only compounded her feelings more. Somehow, the kinder they seemed, the more wrong she felt.

 

And once more since the phone call, Diane wondered what she was doing there to begin with.

 

“Senator? Diane? Hello?”

 

Unaware she’d lost herself in her thoughts, she found the group of people looking at her and she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Her cheeks pinked once more, turning towards Madison who, it seemed, had been trying to get her attention for some time already, “I’m sorry. Yes?”

 

The girl gave her an easy grin, “You left the planet for a minute there.”

 

“I’m sorry,” she let out a nervous laugh, “I was just…thinking.”

 

“Yeah? What about?”

 

“Mads,” her father said carefully.

 

“I’m a snoop,” she admitted then beamed, “They’re springing me from this joint.”

 

“Really?” Diane sounded surprised, even though she’d known of this herself already, “That’s great.”

 

“Yeah, but…” the girl looked troubled then, glancing at her father then at Ethel who moved towards the other end of the room silently to clean up the remnants of the meal she’d brought.

 

“What’s wrong, Mads?” Diane asked, gently.

 

“Well,” for the first time since meeting her, the teen looked unsure. “I know you’re busy and all…does this mean I’ll never see you again?”

 

Diane smiled, unable to help feeling touched by the openness of the girl’s emotions. For a moment, she did feel that the girl might actually miss her after this, “Oh, I don’t know…someone told me they thought my job was actually cool.”

 

“It is, it is!” the girl insisted.

 

“I don’t meet many people like that,” she shrugged absently, “So, I thought, since you’re not holding my job against me…”

 

The quick witted-girl didn’t need to have a map drawn for her, evidently, as her eyes lit up, “Seriously? I’ll see you again? Not just on TV?!”

 

“I hope so.”

 

Diane almost didn’t catch the girl as she scrambled off the bed, kicking the covers off and jostling the recently fluffed pillows and launched herself at her. She stood just in time and Madison’s arms slipped around her waist in a tight hug.

 

“Good! Because I’m really glad I met you,” Madison said happily, “You’re one of the coolest people I know, I’d hate not to see you again!”

 

“I’m glad I met you too,” Diane said and meaning every word of it, squeezing the girl gently.

 

Madison smiled, then moved closer to her ear and whispered, “And you know what? I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who’s glad. And I’m not talking about Big Tony!”

 

And as quickly as she jumped at the woman, she moved back, plopping herself back on the bed and gave Diane a winning smile before allowing her father to throw the covers up on her again. The other adults in the room watched as the thirteen-year-old and the Senator looked at each other, sharing a secret smile that surely had something to do with whatever she may have said to the woman.

 

The rest of the visit, along with the remained of Madison’s short stay in the hospital, was spent in chatters led by the girl with the topics ranging from school to the different kinds of celebrities the Senator may have met already and everything else under the sun.

 

Well, everything but politics, at least.

 

And for the first time in a long time, Senator Diane Lockhart felt like she truly was just another person in the world. She felt normal, felt how she used to feel back when she wasn’t in politics yet—thought god knows that feels like eons ago—when she could sit down with friends who didn’t have to worry about saying something wrong in her presence or what she was allowed and wasn’t allowed to say or god knew what else. She hadn’t felt like she was simply Diane in such a long time and it was as if she was remembering a part of herself she had forgotten a long time ago.

 

She had no idea until then just how much she missed that feeling.

 

And as much as she tried, she couldn’t make herself forget it now.

 

***

 

“You sure you won’t reconsider lunch?”

 

They were both walking down the hall leading to the back of the hospital. Madison’s papers had been cleared already and they were set to go home. Annie had been coming in and out of the room, fielding calls that had suddenly started coming and Diane decided that was her cue to leave. As if conspiring just to get her goat that day, it seemed some interested parties were deciding today was a good day to bother her about a coming vote the committees were fighting over for when the Senate came back to session.

 

Diane gave him a wry smile, “I would, but somehow, people seem to keep forgetting we’re supposed to be taking a break.”

 

“Mr. Gardner?”

 

“How do—” she stopped, remembering he’d been there when she had taken the call, “No, no. I rescheduled with him. I’m more caught up between Senators Lilianfield and Berryhill right now.” She rolled her eyes slightly, “Apparently, my being junior Senator entitles them to some, er, access to my line, regardless of what time or when.”

 

“I hear the vote on—”

 

“Mhm,” she nodded, “It’s nothing covert or anything, you’ll hear about it. But, you know, gathering votes and all. Senator Cashman is already knocking down doors.”

 

“And Lilianfield is trying to get to you first,” he’d obviously been following the last week’s news cycle.

 

“Yes,” she nodded, “Never thought I’d object to three men cluttering my phone lines, but here I am. Two seconds from clobbering them myself.” She paused, “Though in my defense, these men are _at least_ well over a decade my senior.”

 

“Maybe you should tell Madison about this after all,” Kurt smirked, “Show her the ‘sucky side’, as she calls it, of the job.”

 

“I might,” Diane nodded, “You shouldn’t worry though. She’s an exceptional child.”

 

“Yeah, she is,” he nodded. “So, Senate won’t be in session until after Christmas…”

 

Diane nodded, “Mhm…and then another break for the New Year then we go back in January. Although the White House won’t be taking a break. We’re fielding and I still have the, well, _the thing_ , I’m sure you’ve heard since Madison knows as well.”

 

“Yeah,” he nodded, “Quite a leap for a junior Senator.”

 

She nodded, “So I’ve been told.”

 

“You know everyone’s still wondering why anyone would turn down the Vice President position.”

 

That little piece of her road to the Senate had somehow leaked and while the flurry of the press had died down, apparently, the curiosity hadn’t. At least, not among the people which Diane found a little irksome at times since she found that to be a non-story.

 

Diane barely gave him a look though, “It’s a short, dull story…and do you have any idea how odd it is for me discussing such things with a Republican?”

 

He chuckled, “I was wondering when you’d bring that up.”

 

“I was waiting,” she smirked then sighed, “I’d rather not talk about politics though.”

 

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” he looked sheepish, “But since you turned down lunch, I was wondering if Mr. Gardner doesn’t mind—”

 

She smiled, “He won’t but before anything, I was wondering about something…”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I’ve got a few things to do while I’m in town,” she glanced behind her to see Annie and Coyne keeping a respectful distance.

 

It had been a while since she found herself able to walk next to a man who didn’t want something from her just because she held a particular position or simply wanted to be with her to be _seen_ with her. It was refreshing and she was surprised she really liked feeling his hand on the small of her back as they walked.

 

The last time a man did that, as far as she could remember, they were either fellow Senators or agents trying to make sure she didn’t stumble as they led her around. Having Kurt McVeigh stand so closely by her side like that sent a feeling down her spine, one that was not at all unwelcome.

 

She stopped not too far from the doors where already she could spot one agent in a dark suit, standing by and decided it was now or never for her.

 

“I’m going to be seeing a few friends, visiting a few events, but,” she looked at Kurt, standing in front of him and suddenly feeling quite silly, “I have a free night coming up. I was wondering if you’d like to join me?”

 

For a moment, Kurt seemed surprised which he covered quickly by ducking his head slightly and grinning at her, “I’m not the suit and tie kinda guy. Except for court, but that’s a requirement.”

 

“I really don’t care what you wear,” she admitted.

 

“Can’t do fancy restaurants either.”

 

She smiled, “I also do not care where we eat.”

 

“You sure about that?”

 

“Give me the night and I’ll cancel whatever there might be,” she smirked. “Are you going to turn me down?”

 

“Well, after that kind of offer…”

 

He took a step towards her and, without hesitation, lifted his hand and brushed a lock of hair from her face. She smiled, taking a step closer as well as his hand moved lower and he placed it on her cheek. She leaned in to his touch, her hand falling on his shoulder just like the way it did the night before only this time, she didn’t hesitate to let her fingers curl slightly on the fabric of his coat. She allowed his hand to frame her face and her eyes fluttered close as he leaned in to kiss her.

 

“Hey!”

 

The sharp voice stopped them, but it was the flash of a camera that had them jumping apart. By sheer instinct, Kurt moved in front of her with Coyne merely a second or so behind. The agent barked at the group of photographers that seemed to come out from nowhere, clicking away and firing questions at the Senator who was being shielded by both her agent and a man nobody knew.

 

“Step back!” Coyne commanded while at the same time called the rest of his team. It didn’t take long before they arrived, pushing through the crowd of cameras.

 

Annie surged forward, moving in front and saying in an even but firm voice the Senator was not there in a professional capacity. She joined in telling them to move back, but as was the nature of the beast, the hounds merely kept taking more pictures, hurtling question after question, including who the man with the Senator was and demanding for his name.

 

The press had come when someone had let slip they’d once again seen the Senator in the hospital. The night before had brought them nothing in terms of proof of her presence but with this, they finally had it. They were out to get any information they could, including a possible way to verify the rumors that Senator Diane Lockhart of Illinois was in the short list of names to fill a spot that had yet been vacated weeks prior by the sudden unfortunate passing of a certain political ally of the President’s.

 

It meant that the Senator, following her monumental win during the elections, was slated to play an even bigger part in the administration. It came as no surprise that she was being considered, especially since it came out she had turned down the opportunity to be the running mate of the President and as well as her strong political ties with various members of her party.

 

Diane Lockhart was good at fostering relationships and she was a good political candidate, a proud Democrat who also carried that certain charm and appeal that had even some members of the right begrudgingly accepting her. She was a good candidate, attractive not just in terms of her history and appeal but as well as in the way she seemed to easily form ties and bonds with people she met. There was no hint of scandal to her, no hint of dirt that could topple her should she choose to pursue more in the political arena. She was the rare odd duck that truly had nothing to hide.

 

So, to say that the party had high hopes, plans and priorities for her was, in itself, an understatement.

 

But the press had stumbled on something now and they knew it, meaning this was more than just about the rumors of the vacant position now from the way Coyne and his team did their job, covering Diane as they made their way through to the exit where they were originally headed. The car was there waiting already and with Annie heading them off, they were getting through the crowd easier. And without even a backwards glance, they pushed the Senator into the car and drove off, leaving the cameras behind.

 

And as well as the prone form of Kurt McVeigh who immediately retreated back further into the hospital, taking his chance to bolt when the attentions of the voracious members of the press were still trying to catch the Senator. He slipped away, barely catching a glance of the speeding town car before heading up back to his daughter’s room.

 

There was no question at all now—they needed to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. After that display, Kurt McVeigh wasn’t going to let those animals near his daughter.

 

And so with his focus returning to his Madison, his mind altogether dropped the plans he’d been making with Diane Lockhart then. In the midst of the sudden descent of the media vultures, Kurt’s mind retreated back as much as his body did, deciding that after such an interruption, he could not imagine how they were ever going to keep those plans. It was the reality check he needed—what was he thinking? A Senator? Him? Not to mention what this could do not only to his privacy but as well as Madison’s.

 

Stepping back onto his daughter’s floor, Kurt McVeigh dropped the matter from his mind as well as altogether. He had his life, he had his daughter and as much as he enjoyed being in the company of Diane Lockhart, he could not imagine how the fantasy he had been so foolishly entertaining for a second there was even possible, not without risking his personal life and family.

 

Diane had been lovely, incredibly so, but Kurt was in touch with reality enough to know he was definitely not the kind of man she could truly want. She was out of his league and he knew he couldn’t let himself be responsible for wreaking havoc in her life. She was better off without him.

 

And as much as he hated having their moment be interrupted for the second time, he couldn’t help but feel grateful. Twice in less than twelve hours had to be a sign now, right? They were better off, he thought. They had different lives, too different, unfortunately and as happy as Madison felt having her around, Kurt knew this wouldn’t have always been the case, had they been able to keep whatever they were considering going.

 

Resisting the urge to smack himself, Kurt stopped at his daughter’s door. Time to step back into his life—the life he had been happily living before Diane Lockhart came along. And as much as he was beginning to feel the pangs of regret, he forced himself to believe this was indeed for the best.

 

Life was complicated enough, he wasn’t going to add to Diane Lockhart’s by bungling along through hers. He imagined she had enough complications in her life to keep her going. To be a source of more stress, more problems and conflict were definitely something he did not want become, especially not to someone so gracious and kind like Diane.

 

After all, it was the least he could do after what she’d done for them. He wasn’t blind to her kindness, to everything she shared with them, mere strangers she’d merely bumped into an airport by sheer chance. It was only right he returned the favor somehow.

 

Even if it meant never seeing her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Important note:  
> I changed the President here. He's unnamed now but he's definitely NOT the current POTUS. It's not a big deal but this is an incredibly AU story and I didn't feel comfortable using the real thing so...for now, the President here is unnamed. It won't affect the story in any way. Just a minor detail.
> 
> Basically, the President's win was historical--for any reason you might want to think--and it was a big deal. Oh, that and he is, in fact, a Democrat.


End file.
